EAC Partner States sign CAADP Compact to transform Agriculture for inclusive economic development
East African Community Secretariat; Arusha, Tanzania; 23 June 2017:
The EAC Partner States have marked a major milestone in their aspiration of placing agriculture as the engine of social and economic growth in the integration process with the signing of the EAC Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Compact.
The EAC CAADP Compact details regional development priorities and defines actions, commitments and partnerships required to achieve agricultural transformation in line with the CAADP goals and targets.
Addressing officials during the singing ceremony of the EAC CAADP Compact, the EAC Deputy Secretary General in charge of Productive and Social Sectors, Hon. Christophe Bazivamo noted that the process of developing the EAC CAADP Compact has been a lengthy, inclusive and consultative one, aimed at building census and securing ownership among various stakeholders.
“The Compact is designed to facilitate coordination of regional and cross-cutting programmes that are best handled regionally and those that compliment agricultural programmes and projects at the national level in the Partner States,” added Hon. Bazivamo.
On his part, Uganda’s Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries and Chairperson of the EAC Sectoral Council on Agriculture and Food Security, Hon. Ssempijja V. Bamulangaki reaffirmed the EAC Partner States’ commitment to transforming agriculture for inclusive economic growth in the region.
“Over the years, efforts have been put in different sectors of integration such as infrastructure, it is now time that we assert ourselves, move with greater speed and ensure we take agriculture to the lead”, said the Minister.
CAADP’s overall goal is to use agriculture to eliminate hunger and reduce poverty in Africa. Through the CAADP agenda, African governments have agreed to increase public investment in agriculture to 10% of national budgets per year and to raise and maintain agricultural productivity and annual growth by at least 6%.
With the vision of “A Competitive and prosperous agriculture sector in East Africa”, the EAC CAADP Compact priorities focus on considerations for accelerating agricultural growth and transformation, that targets: increased agriculture production and productivity; increased intra African regional trade and better functioning of national and regional markets; expanded local agro-industry and value chain development inclusive of women and youth; increased resilience of livelihoods and improved management of risks in agricultural sector; and improved management of natural resources for sustainable agriculture.
The priority and focus areas in the EAC Compact include sustainable natural resource use and management; rural infrastructure, ICT and trade-related capacities for improved market access; food supply and reducing hunger; agricultural research, technology dissemination and adoption; enhancing resilience of livelihoods and production systems and Management of Risks; institutional and financial Strengthening; and cross cutting issues.
The Compact was signed by the EAC Partner States, the EAC Secretariat, the Inter- University Council for East Africa (IUCEA), the East Africa Farmers Federation (EAFF), the East African Business Council (EABC), the East Africa Civil Society Organizations’ Forum (EACSOF), the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
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Notes to Editor:
The Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) is an African Union (AU), Africa-owned and Africa-led initiative designed to boost agricultural productivity in Africa. It was endorsed at the African Union Heads of State Summit as a New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) programme in July 2003.
The adoption of Malabo Declaration on Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation in June 2014 by the AU Summit gave renewed legitimacy and mandate to the CAADP agenda. The Malabo Declaration focuses on delivering measureable results and impact, deepening the earlier CAADP Maputo commitments, and bringing focus on the need for institutional and policy change to create an enabling environment for concerted country and regional efforts directed towards delivering agricultural transformation.
For more information, please contact:
Mr Owora Richard Othieno
Head, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Department
EAC Secretariat
Arusha, Tanzania
Tel: +255 784 835021
Email: OOthieno [at] eachq.org
About the East African Community Secretariat:
The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation of five Partner States, comprising Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
The EAC Secretariat is ISO 9001: 2008 Certified