Ministers of Agriculture from the African Union member states began a three-day Extraordinary Summit on January 9 in Kampala, Uganda.
The meeting aims to finalize the Kampala Declaration and a ten-year Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) Strategy and Action Plan, which will guide agricultural development from 2026 to 2035.
The initiative builds on the Malabo Declaration of 2014, which set goals for agricultural transformation and improved livelihoods.
Over the past ten months, various stakeholders, including regional organizations, agricultural experts, farmer groups, and youth representatives, collaborated to draft the strategy.
The proposal underwent multiple reviews, including input from the AU’s Specialized Technical Committee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Water, and Environment.
The strategy aligns with Africa’s 2021 Common Position to the UN Food Systems Summit and emphasizes sustainable agri-food systems to address climate change impacts, food security, and economic growth.
It also integrates goals from Agenda 2063, focusing on inclusive development and reduced dependency on food imports.
Food insecurity remains a significant challenge in Africa, with over 280 million people experiencing chronic hunger. Contributing factors include climate change, population growth, and economic instability.
The CAADP Strategy seeks to tackle these issues by promoting climate-resilient agriculture, reducing waste, enhancing infrastructure, and improving regional agricultural trade.
Africa’s reliance on food imports cost the continent $100 billion annually, at a time Africa’s agricultural resources, including fertile land and water, should enable self-sufficiency.
The summit’s second day will involve deliberations by Ministers of Foreign Affairs, with Heads of State concluding the event on January 11.