Kenya is hosting a regional agriculture stakeholders engagement and dialogue meeting.
The meeting is focusing on providing input for the Post-Malabo Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Agenda.
This forum is organised by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (Igad), East African Community (EAC), Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) and the African Union's development agency, AUDA NEPAD.
Agriculture PS Paul Ronoh said the primary goal of these regional consultations is to ensure comprehensive stakeholder participation and build consensus on key elements for the Post-Malabo Agenda.
The CAADP, initiated in 2003 through the Maputo Declaration by African Heads of State and Government, aims to boost African agriculture and food security.
The leaders committed to investing at least 10 per cent of their countries' GDP in agriculture to achieve a minimum six per cent annual growth in agricultural GDP.
A decade later, the 2014 Malabo Declaration further reinforced these commitments, with a focus on accelerated agricultural growth and transformation.
More than two decades of CAADP implementation have yielded significant progress, including economic and agricultural growth, poverty reduction and enhanced agricultural trade and public investments.
Despite these advancements, challenges remain, as highlighted by the PS.
The CAADP-Malabo Biennial Reviews since 2017 indicate only one country is on track to meet the Malabo commitments.
“Challenges such as climate change, geopolitical tensions, conflicts, pandemics and economic downturns have hampered progress,” Ronoh said.
“Additionally, evolving African agri-food systems influenced by demographic changes, urbanisation, technological advancements, dietary shifts and increased consumption of processed foods necessitate innovation and adaptation.”
The Malabo Declaration's term ends in 2025, prompting the African Union and its partners to develop a new 10-year agenda for the continent.
This new agenda, the Post-Malabo CAADP Agenda, will address the successes, challenges and lessons from the past implementations, aiming to establish a robust framework for agricultural growth and transformation in Africa.
The meeting in Kenya is expected to generate concrete input on addressing existing challenges and devising practical strategies for the Post-Malabo CAADP Agenda.