Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme of the NEPAD
Presenter: Mr. Komla Bissi, Agribusiness and value chains advisor of CAADP,
+27-112563643; komlab@nepad.org; www.caadp.net

NEPAD

• A program of the African Union (adopted July 2001)
• A vision and strategic framework for sustainable development in Africa
• Overall goal: Eradicate poverty and place African countries on a path of sustainable growth and development while participating actively in the world economy
• African Governments have identified investments in 8 sectors as key for achieving the NEPAD goal: (1) Agriculture; (2) Science and Technology; (3) Education; (4) Gender and Civil Society; (5) Governance; (6) Water and Infrastructure; (7) Environment and Tourism; (8) Health.

AGRICULTURE IS A PRIORITY SECTOR

• The agriculture sector in Africa is the backbone of the economy (30-60% GDP; 60-90% employment; 25-90% export earnings)
• After exhibiting stagnant growth for decades, recently there has been a marked increase in agricultural sector growth: 2.7% (2002); 3% (2003); 5% (2004)
• But overall performance remains poor:
• Cereal yields and per capita food production are much lower in Africa than in the rest of the world:
• Result: High rates of poverty, food insecurity and malnutrition
• Reason: Low levels of investment in the sector manifested by extensive production methods, reliance on rainfed agriculture, and low levels of inputs:
• Fertilizers and hybrid seeds both of which were responsible for the success of the Green Revolution in Asia and Latin America are barely used in Africa.

THE COMPREHENSIVE AFRICA AGRICUILTURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (CAADP)

• CAADP is the NEPAD implementation program for the revitalization of the agricultural sector in Africa.
• Goal: To help African countries reach a higher path of economic growth through agriculture-led development which eliminates hunger and reduces poverty and food insecurity, and enables expansion of exports.

Highlights of Evolution of CAADP framework

• May 2002: CAADP developed by the AU, NEPAD and FAO
• June 2002: CAADP endorsed by African Ministers of Agriculture.
• July 2003: The AU Summit endorsed CAADP and adopted the Maputo Declaration on Agriculture and Food Security (African HOS pledged to allocate at least 10% of their national budgets to agriculture by 2008)
• February 2004: AU Extraordinary Summit agreed to integrate fisheries, forestry and livestock in the CAADP Framework (Sirte Declaration)
• CAADP endorsed and supported by development partners:
• Additional finance available from L'Aquila Food Security Initiative

CAADP is a strategic framework

• Although continental in scope, it is an integral part of national efforts to promote agricultural sector growth and economic development:
• It is not a set of supranational programs to be implemented by individual countries.
• It is a common framework, reflected in a set of key principles and targets that have been defined and set by the Heads of State and Government

Objectives of CAADP

• Attain food security
• Improve agricultural productivity to attain an average annual production growth rate of 6%.
• Integrate farmers into the market economy and improve access to global markets.
• Achieve more equitable distribution of wealth through more equitable access to land, physical and financial resources, and knowledge, information and technology.
• Establish dynamic regional and sub-regional agricultural markets.
• Harness science and technology to meet the needs of African agricultural development.
• Practice environmentally sound production methods and develop a culture of sustainable management of natural resources

CAADP: main principles and targets

• Principle of agriculture led growth as a main strategy to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger (MDG 1)
• Pursuit of 6% annual average growth for sector at the national level
• Allocation of at least 10% of national budgets to the agriculture sector
• Exploitation of regional complementarities and cooperation to boost growth
• Application of the principles of policy efficiency, dialogue, peer review, and accountability at all levels
• Application of the principle of inclusiveness: establishment of partnerships and alliances that include farmers, agribusiness and civil society communities

Assigned roles and responsibilities to the countries (program implementation); RECs (coordination) and NEPAD (facilitation)

CAADP offers opportunities for countries
In general, CAADP provides a platform for:

• Achieving MDG 1 and responding to food crisis
• Promoting new ways of working through which to improve aid effectiveness and fulfill commitments of Paris, Accra and L'Aquila:
• Partnerships
• Harmonization
• Alignment
• Mutual Accountability
• Country-ownership
• Harnessing political momentum

Key partner organizations

• African Union Commission - Political leadership
• NEPAD Agency  - Technical oversight, support facilitate implementation
• RECs - Regional leadership and programming
• Pillar Lead Institutions - Policy expertise and support
• Natural resources - University of Zambia & CILSS
• Markets and infrastructure - Council of West African Ministries of Agriculture (CMA/AOC)
• Food security - University of KwaZulu Natal & CILSS
• Research - Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA)
• ReSAKSS - Knowledge for evidence-based planning
• Development Partners Task Team - co-ordination of DP support (a continental ADWG supported by Global Donor Platform for Rural Development)
• World Bank - Multi-donor Trust Fund for CAADP process
• FAO & IFPRI - Technical assistance
• CAADP Partnership Platform - Multi-stakeholder reviews, planning and accountability
• CAADP Africa Forum - Sharing best policy and practice

CAADP implementation levels

i) Regional level

• Ownership and leadership of the CAADP implementation process is by the RECs.
• Identification regional priorities under the CAADP agenda
• Establishment of coordination and governance structures at the regional level
• Mobilize support to build capacity of the RECs to coordinate the implementation process at the country level.

ii) Country level

• CAADP Country Roundtables to launch and coordinate the implementation process
• Objective of CAADP Roundtables: Make sure the country is on track to achieve the CAADP growth and budgetary objectives.
• National governments consult with private sector, farmers' organizations and development partners to:
• Take stock of ongoing and planned national projects and programs;
• Identify gaps and weaknesses with respect to policy, budgetary allocations, and investment measures visa-vis achieving the CAADP objectives and targets
• Elaborate strategies and discuss commitments to address these gaps and make sure the CAADP agenda is met.

The outcome of Country Roundtable

• Outcome of the CAADP Roundtable: CAADP Country Compact
• The commitments in terms of sector policies, public expenditures and development assistance are reviewed and formally endorsed in the form of a country CAADP compact
• Country CAADP Compact:
• serves as a framework for partnerships and dialogue to design and implement the required policy interventions and investment programs to achieve the CAADP targets.

The CAADP Compact which is a country commitment to CAADP

Key features of CAADP implementation

• The CAADP roundtable
• Government appoint CAADP Focal point persons
• Consultants and the stocktaking exercise
• Analysis / modeling
• Stakeholder workshop
• Roundtable
• The CAADP Compact
• Post Compact Roadmap & Investments
• Peer Reviews, M&E etc

So far 19 countries have signed the CAADP Compact with ECOWAS having 12 countries, COMESA 6 and SADC 1 country.
More countries have finalized their Compact plan to sign:

• 3 in ECOWAS
• 4 in COMESA
• 1 in SADC

Status of CAADP Implementation

ECOWAS (12)
Togo, Sierra Leone, Niger, Mal, Benin, Liberia, Nigeria, Gambia, Ghana Cape Verde, Senegal, Guinea

COMESA (6)
Rwanda, Malawi, Ethiopia, Swaziland, Uganda, Burundi

SADC (1)
Tanzania

Out of the countries that have signed the Compact, 11 countries have developed their investment plans. The noted common investment areas in these plans include:

• Food security and Nutrition
• Sustainable land and water management
• Value chains promotion

However, much of the resource allocations seem to be on food security and value chains development in all these countries.