This week in Durban, South Africa, the 10th Comprehensive Africa Agriculture
Development Programme (CAADP) Partnership Platform meeting is taking place to
provide a time for reflection and recommitment to country-led efforts in
support of African agriculture.
As CAADP countries renew their commitments to concrete
goals in support of agricultural productivity and the millions of women and men
who produce food for the continent and the world, it is a critical time to
reflect upon the progress that has been made in the past decade and the
tremendous opportunities presented by evolving African agriculture and food
systems.
The report, “Optimism for African Agriculture and Food Systems,” released
today, argues that the strong growth experienced by several African countries
must be proactively supported by immediate and decisive leadership by
additional African leaders.
“If
leaders step in to create conducive environments for smallholder farmers and
capture the potential of youth in the labor force, Africa’s future will be
bright,” Kofi Annan, founding chair of the Kofi Annan Foundation and former UN
Secretary General, said. “If African leaders create the right financial and
market incentives, enable access to innovation, and engage the private sector,
Africans will be able to feed not just themselves, but export food to other
parts of the world. Building on the CAADP framework and important
transformations underway, this is surely the moment for African leadership and
vision to fully blossom.”
The
report warns that policy leadership is urgently needed to unlock Africa’s
agricultural potential. With Africa’s growing population set to double by 2050,
effective leadership could transform demographic challenges into opportunities
by tapping into a growing and increasingly skilled workforce.
African
Union Commission (AUC) Commissioner Rhoda Peace Tumusiime concurred, noting,
“There are important trends such as urbanization and a growing youth population
that we must view as great opportunities for Africa – from which to build a
prosperous rural and urban development strategy, rather than as trends to be
viewed with alarm.” Key to realizing these opportunities will be encouraging
entrepreneurship in the middle of the agri-food supply chain (e.g., in
processing and distribution) with market incentives and better access to data
and innovation.
The
report is the outcome of a high-level dialogue which took place on 25-26
November 2013, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and which was led by Dr. Nkosazana
Dlamini-Zuma, Chairperson of the AUC, and Chair of the Kofi Annan Foundation,
Kofi Annan, with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
At
the high-level dialogue, a select group of distinguished leaders with a deep
commitment to agricultural development in Africa discussed recent models of
success, assessed critical challenges, and charted opportunities for concerted
action. They recognized that scaling, amplifying, and transferring success
needs to be accomplished in a way that allows for unique regional and national
approaches and that future progress will require commitment from all sectors.
Additional information on the report can be obtained via the link below.
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