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Agricultural Order of Merit to Dr. Mayaki
18th January 2010 - Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, the Chief Executive Officer of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) has been granted the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Agricultural Merit, by the Government of France.
Dr. Mayaki, is now a member of the renowned family of ‘Officers of the Order of Agricultural Merit’ of France. The NEPAD CEO was notified of this distinction through a decree issued by the French Minister of Food, Agriculture and Fishing, H.E. Bruno Le Maire, on 30 July 2009.
“This distinction is in recognition of the services rendered by Dr. Mayaki to agriculture”, said Minister Bruno Le Maire in the decree. According to the Minister, the Order of Merit is meant to honour the successful and experienced career as well as the continued contribution of Dr. Mayaki to development.
Not only is it an acknowledgement of Dr. Mayaki’s competencies, but it is also a reward for his professional achievements and his experiences in the field of development. In fact, the award comes as a merit to NEPAD as a whole given that Dr. Mayaki is spearheading the development initiatives of this Pan-African institution.
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Rwanda calls for genuine action on African agriculture
7 December 2009, Kigali, Rwanda – Africa has identified the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) as the avenue for addressing the challenges of food security, but both the donors and African governments are yet to fulfil their commitments to CAADP, said Rwandan President Paul Kagame earlier on today at the start of a two day high-level meeting on CAADP.
In 2003, African leaders signed up to CAADP through which they agreed to allocate ten percent of their national budgets to agriculture and to pursue six percent average annual growth rate at the national level in the agricultural sector.
“Neither Africa nor the development partners have achieved the targets that were set up in 2003,” said Kagame. “There are substantial gaps between pledges and targets. We simply have no option, but to succeed with the CAADP and we all need to re-commit to what is required of us. We need to act on how each country can invest in CAADP and on how partners can support these investments.”
The President was speaking at the start of the Rwanda Post-CAADP Compact High Level Stakeholder Meeting that is focused on reviewing the achievements registered so far by Rwanda in terms of the CAADP agenda and also on how to kick-start investments into the country’s agricultural sector through the Rwanda Agriculture Sector Plan (PSTA 2) and the related Investment Plan.
The meeting brought together various policymakers, African ministers of Agriculture , donors, and representatives from the African Union (AU), the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), and other international organizations.
As a programme of the African Union, NEPAD works closely with African governments to implement CAADP, a framework to accelerate economic growth and boost food security through greater investments in agriculture.
“As you all know the hunger situation in Africa is worrying. The World Hunger Report for 2009 indicates that most countries in Sub-Saharan Africa are food stressed,” said Rhoda Peace Tumusiime, the Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, at the African Union Commission. “However, excellent outcomes are being witnessed in some countries such as Rwanda, Malawi and recently Sierra Leone which have made significant progress in meeting the CAADP targets”.
According to a review of the Rwanda Investment Plan, Rwanda has increased public spending on agriculture and farmers are also responding positively through increased production and productivity. Still, the country is faced with a close to US $300 million financing gap that needs to be addressed if the country’s is to maintain the current successes.
Gayle Smith, the Special Advisor to President Barack Obama of the United States reiterated the US Government’s commitment to CAADP.
“We will succeed if we match word with deed,” she advised. She went on to highlight that this success will have to go hand-in-hand with the principles of mutual accountability, engagement, transparency and real tangible commitments to African agriculture.
Speaking on behalf of the development partners, Nick Dyer the Director of Policy at the UK’s Department for International Development also called upon the donors to step-up to the challenge of taking real action in terms of supporting agriculture in Africa.
Hartwig Schafer, the Director of Strategy and Operations and Sustainable Development at the World Bank, reiterated the Bank’s support to Agriculture in Africa through short term relief and medium term investments all of which fits in well with September Pittsburgh meeting through which the G20 leaders called upon the World Bank to increase agricultural assistance to low-income countries.
The Bank is also supporting CAADP through the recently established US $50 million Multi-Donor Trust Fund which is being used to build the capacity of African institutions to lead and implement the CAADP agenda.
About NEPAD-CAADP
The African Union through its programme of the ‘The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) works to raise the amount and quality of food that Africa produces, in order to make families more food-secure and exports more profitable. To do this, NEPAD brings together all the organisations involved in Africa’s agriculture – and helps them voice their needs and co-ordinate their work. The framework guiding this work is CAADP, developed and led by African nations. Established as part of NEPAD, CAADP was endorsed by the African Union Assembly in July 2003.
NEPAD works closely with the African Union Commission (AUC), regional economic communities, national governments, research institutions, farmers’ associations to make sure that the pivotal role of agriculture in development is prioritised. In addition, many global development partners who were looking for a champion for agricultural development have rallied around CAADP.
For more information go to: www.nepad-caadp.net or email AndrewK@nepad.org
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NEPAD calls upon non-state actors to be more proactive on agriculture
By the CAADP Communications Team
Nairobi, 4 Dec 04, 2009 - Traditional rulers such as kings and chiefs have an important role to play in ensuring that agricultural development for the vulnerable is attained. This remark was made by Prof. Richard Mkandawire, Head of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) at the NEPAD Secretariat during his closing remarks at last week’s CAADP Africa Forum in Nairobi, Kenya.
“Non-state leaders such as kings and chiefs have the power to make concrete contributions to the development of agriculture,” he said. “They have the capacity to influence the people they lead and as CAADP, we are keen on broadening their participation.” One such leader, Paramount Chief Dasebrei Osei Bonsui from Ghana attended the five-day forum.
According to Prof. Mkandawire, the CAADP Africa Forum has reaffirmed its value addition to the African leaderships’ commitment to the restoration of agricultural growth and food security on the continent. “This is the only agricultural platform of its kind where the private sector and representatives of farmers’ organizations meet to dialogue on the challenges and opportunities of agricultural development in Africa.”
He added that the forum is a relevant and credible platform in enhancing the visibility of agriculture as a vehicle to poverty and hunger reduction. Prof Mkandawire also urged farmers to take the lead in defining the content of future fora.
The annual Africa Forum was attended by over 150 participants from 16 countries across the continent, Germany and Italy. During the Forum the participants visited farmers from different parts of Kenya where they learned of what the country was doing in the agricultural sector.
The next forum will be hosted by Burkina Faso.
CAADP is an African owned and African led initiative working to boost agricultural productivity on the continent aiming to help African countries reach a higher path of economic growth through agriculture-led development. It brings together diverse key players - at the continental, regional and national levels - to improve co-ordination, to share knowledge, successes and failures, to encourage one another, and to promote joint and separate efforts to achieve the CAADP goals.
For more information contact
andrewk@nepad.org /
millicents@nepad.org
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AGRA and NEPAD Form Historic Partnership To Rapidly Increase Food Production and Achieve Food Security in Africa
Africa's Two Leading Farmer-Focused Initiatives Join Forces to Unlock Potential of African Agriculture As Engine of Economic Growth
ABUJA, NIGERIA (9 November 2009) - The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) today announced a groundbreaking partnership that will link African government commitments to agricultural development with concrete programs in seeds, soil health, policy, and markets.
"This partnership will enable African countries to close the gap between intention and action on behalf of smallholder farmers," said Mr Kofi A Annan, Chairman of AGRA and former Secretary-General of the United Nations. "NEPAD has mobilized public support among African governments to prioritize and invest in agriculture. AGRA develops and disseminates the technologies farmers need; bolsters policy reform; builds markets and involves the private sector. Our combined efforts will be a strong force for change across Africa."
Based on the Memorandum of Understanding, the two organizations will join forces to work directly with national governments and partners across the agricultural value chain in a comprehensive effort to increase the productivity of smallholder farmers growing Africa's staple food crops. They will focus particularly on plans to develop high potential breadbasket areas of African countries.
"An African strategy that increases the productivity of smallholder farmers is crucial to reaching our goal of 6 percent annual agricultural growth" said Dr Ibrahim Mayaki, Chief Executive Officer of NEPAD, who signed the Memorandum with AGRA.
NEPAD works closely with African governments to implement the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP), a framework to accelerate economic growth and boost food security through greater investments in agriculture. Endorsed by African leaders, CAADP calls on African governments to allocate 10 percent of their national budgets to agriculture, in order to achieve 6 percent annual agricultural growth.
AGRA is a partnership-based organization whose integrated programs in seeds, soil health, market access and policy work to increase the productivity of smallholder farmers and transform African agriculture into a highly productive, efficient, and sustainable system.
"African leaders have unified behind the CAADP vision and have taken bold steps to put agriculture at the center of the development agenda," said Dr Namanga Ngongi, President of AGRA. "This vision has galvanized partners around the world to support agriculture. Our partnership will accelerate CAADP's implementation at the country level."
The new partners will work together through CAADP's national Roundtable processes, which will direct investments toward implementing policies and programs that strengthen smallholder farmers' access better soil management techniques and improved seeds and fertilizers, increase their access to markets, and build the capacity of African institutions to advance agricultural research and to develop home-grown, evidence-based agricultural policies.
Building on Progress
"We see CAADP as a historic development in charting new agricultural pathways for Africa", said Prof. Richard Mkandawire, Agriculture Adviser at NEPAD and Head of CAADP. "We are therefore delighted that AGRA is joining forces with NEPAD to work hand-in-hand in enhancing agricultural productivity and food security at the country-level".
Since CAADP's establishment in 2003, some African countries have moved to honor their CAADP commitments by providing at least 10 percent of their budgetary allocations towards agriculture. These countries include Malawi, Tanzania, Rwanda, Mali, Ethiopia, Ghana, and Nigeria.
"The Nigerian government has allocated more than 10 percent of our national budget to agriculture," said Dr Sayyad Ruma, Nigeria's Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources. "We are eager to get to work with AGRA and NEPAD, to develop plans that effectively target these moneys to increase the productivity of smallholder farmers."
"It is no surprise that countries that have met their CAADP commitments are also showing signs of greater food security and stronger economic growth," said Dr Akinwumi Adesina, Vice President of Policy and Partnerships at AGRA.
For example, government policies, including seed and fertilizer vouchers for poor farmers, have helped transform Malawi from a net importer to a net exporter of maize over the last four years, and fueled a national economic growth rate of seven percent. In Rwanda, food production grew by 15% in 2007 and 16% in 2008, as the country embarked on an ambitious green revolution program that has increased farmers' access to quality seed and fertilizers.
"Africa must lead its own development through home-grown policies that correspond to its priorities. Such policies will help to achieve economic growth needed to lift millions out of poverty," said Adesina. "This new partnership will build on successes and support new efforts in other breadbasket regions of Africa. Now it is time for our words to match up with our deeds."
Since 2006, AGRA's work in 14 African countries has already benefited hundreds of thousands of smallholder farmers, who now have better access to improved seeds of staple crops, to fertilizers, to markets, to finance, and to improved soil and water management. In Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, for example, 295,000 farmers are being trained in fertilizer micro-dosing, and efficient and sustainable way to improve the soil and the yield of food staples such as sorghum. At the same time, AGRA efforts have led to the release of three high-yielding sorghum varieties in Mali, and networks of village-based agro-dealers are reaching farmers throughout the area.
To evaluate such efforts and scale up an ever-growing number of successes, AGRA and NEPAD announced that they will co-convene a forum in 2010. It will bring together all partners to assess progress and determine the investments needed to strengthen the value chain and support smallholder farmers.
"As a supporter of AGRA and NEPAD, the United Kingdom's Department for International Development wholeheartedly endorses this partnership," said Douglas Alexander of DFID. "This type of collaboration should infuse development efforts. It is destined to greatly accelerate the achievement of Africa's Green Revolution, food security and prosperity for Africa."
About NEPAD-CAADP
The African Union through its programme of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) works to raise the amount and quality of food that Africa produces, in order to make families more food-secure and exports more profitable. To do this, NEPAD brings together all the organisations involved in Africa's agriculture - and helps them voice their needs and co-ordinate their work. The framework guiding this work is CAADP, developed and led by African nations. Established as part of NEPAD, CAADP was endorsed by the African Union Assembly in July 2003. CAADP is led Prof. Richard Mkandawire, former Regional Director of the Commonwealth Youth Programme, Africa Centre (CYPAC) and a re-known development practitioner.
NEPAD works closely with the African Union Commission (AUC), regional economic communities, national governments, research institutions, farmers' associations to make sure that the pivotal role of agriculture in development is prioritised. In addition, many global development partners who were looking for a champion for agricultural development have rallied around CAADP. For more information, go to: www.nepad-caadp.net
About the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)
AGRA is a dynamic partnership working across the African continent to help millions of small-scale farmers and their families lift themselves out of poverty and hunger. AGRA programs develop practical solutions to significantly boost farm productivity and incomes for the poor while safeguarding the environment. AGRA advocates for policies that support its work across all key aspects of the African agricultural value chain - from seeds, soil health and water to markets and agricultural education.
AGRA's Board of Directors is chaired by Kofi A Annan, former Secretary-General of the United Nations. Dr Namanga Ngongi, former Deputy Executive Director of the World Food Programme, is AGRA's president. With support from The Rockefeller Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the UK's Department for International Development and other donors, AGRA works across sub-Saharan Africa and maintains offices in Nairobi, Kenya, and Accra, Ghana. For more information, please visit: www.agra-alliance.org
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