Group photo during the final CAADP Biennial Review Writeshop, in Lagos, Nigeria,18-22 September 2023. Photo credit Peace Mutuwa, AUC
The Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), under the African Union is Africa’s policy framework for agricultural transformation, wealth creation, food security and nutrition security and economic growth. BvAT- EOA-I Secretariat is committed to the June 2014, African Heads of State Malabo Declaration on Agriculture Growth and Transformation in Africa.
The goals of Malabo include reducing levels of poverty, ending hunger on the continent, and tripling intra-African trade in agricultural goods, among others by 2025. The EOA Initiative engagement in the CAADP process has been supported with funding from Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and by African Union Commission.
BvAT as the EOA-I Secretariat was involved in backstopping countries in data collection and in validation at the regional and continental levels following the successful inclusion of the three EOA indicators into the 4th CAADP Biennial Review (BR) cycle. EOA Secretariat team of Dr. David Amudavi, Mr. Alex Mutungi and Ms. Venancia Wambua participated in the EAC, ECOWAS, and SADC regional data validation workshops in August and September and in the continental validation workshop in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and recently in the final CAADP Biennial Review Writeshop, in Lagos, Nigeria,18-22 September 2023. BvAT led in drafting the segment on Commitment 6.
Overall, 49 countries provided data on the seven commitments and several indicators towards the 4th BR. It was impressive to note that 65% of these reported on the 3 EOA indicators under Commitment 3 Ending Hunger by 2025 – Organic fertilizer use as part of total fertilizer consumption; and Status of Farmer Managed Seed Systems (FMSS) in national seed policy instruments and institutional arrangements and Commitment 6 (Enhancing Resilience to Climate Variabilityy) – Agriculture area under EOA apractices in ha.
The report will be finalized by the CAADP BR technical team, translated into the five official AU languages, and presented to the Specialized Technical Committee of Ministers on Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment for endorsement. The final 4th BR report will finally be presented to the AU Heads of State and Governments in February 2024 for adoption.
BvAT is proud of these milestones and support from development partners in the development of the EOA initiative in the continent.
Prepared by Ms. Venancia Wambua, Mr. Alex Mutungi and Dr. David Amudavi