A delegation from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission participated in an extraordinary summit of the African Union (AU) held in Kampala, Uganda, on January 12, 2025. The summit gathered Heads of State and Government from AU member states along with ministers responsible for agriculture and other related sectors.
The primary agenda was to adopt the Ten-Year Strategy and Action Plan for the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) for 2026-2035, alongside the 'Kampala Declaration'. This new plan follows previous declarations made in Maputo in 2003 and Malabo in 2014. CAADP has been instrumental since its inception in enhancing food security, reducing poverty, creating jobs, and fostering economic development while safeguarding environmental sustainability. It aims for a 6% annual growth rate in agriculture and requires member states to allocate at least 10% of their budgets to this sector.
Mrs. Massandjé TOURE-LITSE led the ECOWAS delegation as Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture. She commended the AU Commission for involving all member states, multi-sectoral stakeholders, and Regional Economic Communities (RECs) in developing this new agenda through an inclusive consultation process. "The areas and themes considered, and the major objectives contained in this new action plan meet the aspirations of the citizens of ECOWAS," she stated.
The ECOWAS Commission plans to use these results as a foundation to revise its own agricultural policy (ECOWAP), which will undergo its second ten-year review starting in 2025. Mrs. TOURE-LITSE affirmed ECOWAS's commitment to implementing this new action plan within its framework while assisting member states with national policy integration.
She urged partners to collaborate effectively on executing this ten-year strategy by improving cooperation without duplication or contradiction. She emphasized adhering to principles such as subsidiarity, complementarity, solidarity, and sovereignty during implementation.
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