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The African Union Commission (AUC) will convene an extraordinary summit in Kampala, Uganda, from January 9-11, 2025, as part of an ambitious effort to address Africa’s growing food security challenges.
The summit, which is expected to draw heads of state, ministers, and agricultural experts from across the continent, will focus on advancing the post-Malabo Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), a landmark initiative that aims to overhaul Africa’s agricultural sector over the next decade.
The three-day summit will discuss the draft Kampala CAADP Declaration and the accompanying Ten-Year CAADP Strategy and Action Plan for 2026-2035, which set out a vision for transforming Africa’s agri-food systems. These documents are designed to ensure long-term food security, economic stability, and resilience for Africa’s agricultural systems, which face increasing pressures from climate change, political instability, and economic uncertainty.
The African Union’s commitment to agricultural transformation is not new. Since its launch in 2003, the CAADP program has sought to increase food security, reduce rural poverty, and create jobs through a robust agricultural sector. The program aims for a 6% annual growth rate in the agricultural sector, alongside a call for African governments to allocate at least 10% of their national budgets to agriculture. While the initiative has achieved some success, recent concerns about the continent’s progress toward its goals have spurred the development of a new, post-Malabo agenda.
The Malabo Declaration, signed in 2014, renewed CAADP’s commitment to eradicating hunger, reducing malnutrition, and boosting intra-African trade by 2025. However, as Africa approaches the deadline, there are growing fears that many of these ambitious targets will remain unmet. At the Thirty-Seventh Ordinary Session of the African Union Assembly in February 2024, leaders expressed frustration over the slow pace of implementation, prompting a reevaluation of strategies and the need for urgent action.
As part of this recalibration, the upcoming summit will focus heavily on building resilience within Africa’s agricultural systems, addressing risks such as climate change, political instability, and health crises. The draft Ten-Year CAADP Strategy will emphasize the importance of risk management, including measures to stabilize food prices, promote gender equality, and ensure financial inclusion for smallholder farmers and vulnerable communities. The strategy will also advocate for the establishment of robust public health surveillance systems to detect and respond to emerging threats, such as pandemics or foodborne diseases.
Additionally, the summit will address the critical need for peace and stability in fostering resilient agricultural systems. Conflict, instability, and insecurity have long undermined the agricultural potential of many African nations, and the summit will stress the importance of conflict-resolution mechanisms and the strengthening of local markets and value chains.
At a time when the global community is grappling with the effects of climate change and rising food prices, the African Union’s focus on building resilient agri-food systems is a timely and crucial endeavor. Experts agree that without addressing the structural vulnerabilities in Africa’s food systems, the continent will continue to face rising challenges in meeting the growing demands of its population. The post-Malabo CAADP strategy is an attempt to put Africa on a path toward long-term sustainability, ensuring that agriculture becomes a pillar of economic development and food security for future generations.
Over the course of the summit, participants will examine the implementation of policies that help mitigate the impacts of health crises, such as zoonotic diseases, on agriculture and food systems. They will also discuss strategies for addressing gender inequalities and empowering women and youth in the agricultural sector, ensuring that all segments of society can contribute to and benefit from agricultural transformation.
The event will start with a one-day meeting on January 9 for ministers responsible for agriculture, rural development, water, and the environment. This will be followed by joint sessions with foreign affairs ministers on January 10, where strategic documents will be reviewed. On January 11, the Assembly of Heads of State and Government will gather to endorse the Ten-Year CAADP Strategy and the Kampala CAADP Declaration, marking a pivotal moment in Africa’s agricultural and food security journey.
This summit represents a crucial step for the African Union as it seeks to address the complex challenges facing the continent’s agricultural sector. The goal is not only to ensure food security but also to promote broader economic growth and social development through the transformation of Africa’s agri-food systems. The decisions made in Kampala will likely have far-reaching implications for Africa’s economic future, as agricultural transformation remains one of the key pillars in achieving the goals set out in Agenda 2063, the African Union’s long-term blueprint for the continent’s development.
For Africa to successfully navigate the uncertain terrain of the next decade, leaders and stakeholders must work together to adopt policies that foster sustainable, resilient, and inclusive agricultural systems. With the summit fast approaching, all eyes will be on Kampala to see whether the African Union can secure a unified approach to transforming agriculture and food security in Africa.
News Ghana, Latest Updates and Breaking News of Ghana, News Ghana, https://newsghana.com.gh/african-union-hosts-summit-to-tackle-food-security-and-agricultural-transformation/
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