African Union adopts action plan to boost food security

As part of its new plan to achieve complete food security in a decade, the African Union (AU) has adopted a new agricultural development strategy that will see the continent increase its agrifood output by 45% by 2035 and transform its agri-food systems

With Africa's population likely to reach 2.5 billion by 2050, there will also be numerous challenges that the continent will experience in regard to food demand. This signifies the need to improve agricultural production, productivity, food processing, and trade.

The adoption of the new development strategy took place after the African Union Extraordinary Summit on the Post-Malabo Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) held in Kampala, Uganda, adopted the 10-year CAADP Strategy and Action Plan, and the Kampala CAADP Declaration on Building Resilient and Sustainable Agrifood Systems in Africa, which will be implemented from 2026 to 2035.

The strategy will ensure a reduction in Africa's post harvest loss by 50%, tripling intra-African trade in agrifood products and inputs by 2035, and raising the share of locally processed food to 35% of agrifood GDP by 2035. The adoption of this strategy is therefore seen as a pivotal moment that will lay the groundwork for agri-food systems across the continent, and enable countries to act.

"This Africa of having no food and begging is not the real Africa, but the colonial and neo-colonial Africa. It is a shame," said Uganda's President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, urging the extraordinary Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) to promote value addition. "The battle for value addition has been a big one because lobbies want to keep Africa as a raw-materials-producing continent. Adding value to agricultural products ensures vertical integration in the agricultural sector—from the garden to the table and from the farm to the wardrobe," he said.

He also called on fellow leaders regarding non-tariff barriers (NTBs), requesting them to open up the borders since they continue to undermine the advancement of agriculture in Africa. On his part, the AUC Chairperson, Moussa Faki Mahamat, noted that the ambitious CAADP Programme has been implemented since 2014 within the framework of the Malabo Declaration. He however, expressed dissatisfaction with the rate of progress. Preparatory work undertaken by the African Union Commission, AUDA-NEPAD, the Regional Economic Communities, experts from Member States, and technical and financial partners to form the Kampala Declaration was welcomed by the AUC chairperson.

Ethiopian President Taye Atske Selassie emphasised the urgent need renewed collective commitment and concerted action to achieve Africa’s shared vision for a food-sovereign and prosperous Africa, with the AU Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment, Amb. Josefa Sacko highlighting that the Kampala declaration was different from the Malabo and Maputo declarations since it included a comprehensive strategy and action plan.

According to AUC Chairperson, Faki, the Kampala Declaration symbolises collective efforts made upstream in identifying all the negative factors that lie at the root of the low rate of the attainment of our set objectives for the Agricultural sector on the continent. The AU Commissioner Sacko also highlighted that the new CAADP strategy and action plan 2026-2035 in Kampala would enable member states to start implementing soon after adoption, in turn shaping the transformation of Africa's agrifood systems over the next decade. 

“We now have a clear roadmap, a theory of change that outlines the pathway to transformation, realistic and implementable strategic objectives, a broad policy scope enhancing food system approaches, and targets that reflect the continent's aspirations,” Sacko said, adding that the inclusive design process ensures that the continent is well prepared to work towards the agriculture transformation vision outlined in Agenda 2063.