African Union Launches 10-Year Plan to Transform Continent's Agriculture
Officials emphasize the strategy's focus on building resilient food systems capable of withstanding economic and climate-related shocks.
KAMPALA, Uganda— The African Union unveiled an ambitious decade-long strategy to overhaul the continent's food systems after acknowledging widespread failure to meet previous agricultural development targets, writes Wakhungu Andanje.
The Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) strategic plan for 2026-2035 aims to boost food production, increase value addition, and expand intra-African trade while creating employment opportunities for youth and women.
"None of their respective countries was on target to implement the Malabo CAADP goals and targets by 2025," said Ambassador Josefa Sacko, AU Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment, referring to the previous framework established in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.
The new strategy focuses on six key areas: sustainable food production, agro-industrialisation, private-public sector investment, inclusion of marginalised groups, climate resilience, and governance strengthening.
Sacko urged member states to "quickly domesticate" the upcoming Kampala CAADP declaration into national investment plans.
"It is only through domestication and effective realization that we will be able to achieve our goals and targets by 2035," she said.
The initiative emerges from the AU's fourth biennial review, which revealed significant challenges in meeting agricultural development benchmarks.
The new framework, replacing the previous Malabo declaration, will be presented for adoption at a summit in Kampala next month.
The plan aligns with the AU's Agenda 2063, which envisions a prosperous Africa based on inclusive growth and sustainable development.
Officials emphasize the strategy's focus on building resilient food systems capable of withstanding economic and climate-related shocks.
Key goals include expanding agro-processing capabilities, improving regional trade networks, and creating sustainable employment in the agricultural sector, particularly for young people and women.