" [1]Lagos, Nigeria (PANA) - Kenya is set to host the 8th Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme’s Partnership Platform (CAADP PP) meeting in the capital city of Nairobi 3-4 May, under the theme, “Accelerating CAADP implementation for results and impact,” the organisers said in a statement made available to PANA here.
“Under this theme, the meeting aims to draw attention to issues including policy reforms and institutional development to accelerate delivery of results and impact,” the statement said.
About 200 delegates are expected from within and outside the continent at the annual forum.
They include African ministers of agriculture, as well as representatives of Regional Economic Communities, multilateral and development partners, farmers’ bodies, civil society groups and business people.
''The partnership presents an ideal opportunity for partners to contribute to the strategic review of progress on agriculture by collectively identifying actions that will sustain CAADP’s momentum,” Dr. Ibrahim Mayaki, Chief Executive Officer of the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency, was quoted as saying in the statement.
“CAADP must move beyond its recent focus on support for investment planning to support countries to accelerate implementation for impact and results,” he said.
The meeting will also review progress and country-level experiences in implementation of CAADP activities since the previous meeting held in Yaoundé, Cameroon, in March 2011.
According to the statement, “the underlining issue is how to build on progress and achievements in CAADP implementation to ensure that the process is advancing in delivering tangible results and impact on both the 6% annual productivity target and related impact on socio-economic parameters including job creation, food and nutrition security and poverty alleviation.”
Established as part of the African Union’s NEPAD programme, CAADP was endorsed by the AU Assembly in July 2003.
Since then, about 30 countries have signed the CAADP compact which also brings out national consensus and commitment to give agriculture top priority in terms of budgetary allocation.
In addition, more than 24 countries have established agriculture and food security investment plans.
The meeting is coming at a time Africa and the rest of the world are experiencing some significant shifts and changes.
Emerging new issues such as climate change as well as volatile food and energy prices are high on most African countries’ development agenda.
Land and water acquisition as well as food and nutrition security concerns are equally given top priority by national governments across Africa.
Source: www.panapress.com [2]
