Dec 28, 2015 | News

Dr. Mayaki welcomes the set-up of the Pan African Farmers Forum…calls upon farmers to get involved in NEPAD processes…

By Martin Bwalya and Andrew Kanyegirire

Lilongwe, 26/10/2010 - Dr. Ibrahim Assane Makayi, Chief Executive officer (CEO) of the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NEPAD Agency), has called upon farmers to get involved in NEPAD processes and programmes. He made these remarks at the launch meeting of the Pan-African Farmers Forum (PAFFO) which is currently being held in Lilongwe, Malawi. The meeting runs from the 25th to the 27th of October 2010.

The engagement which is organised jointly by the five regional farmers organisations, namely the network of Farmers and Agricultural Producers' Organisation of West Africa (ROPPA), the Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions (SACAU), the East African Farmers Federation (EAFF), the Magrebian Farmers Union (UMAGRI) and the sub regional Platform of Farmers Organisations in Central Africa (PROPAC) has attracted over 100 participants from the five regional farmers organisations, national farmer associations and civil society and development partner representatives.

In his address, to the participants, Dr. Mayaki, congratulated the farmers on being able to set-up a pan-African farmers' network, which he described as being an important milestone in building stronger and better representation and participation of farmers in Africa's development agenda. He urged the farmers to sustain the interest, commitment and resolve they have demonstrated in the build up to the establishment of PAFFO.

PAFFO is a demonstration of the collaboration among farmers and farmer organisations across the continent. As an important instrument for rallying direct farmer engagement on Africa's growth and development agenda, PAFFO has an important responsibility in ensuring farmers' interests, needs and aspirations in order for them to continue being reflected and acted upon in Africa's agriculture development initiatives.

Participants at the launch agreed that PAFFO is going to be important in galvanising the involvement and participation of farmers in the review and formulation of public policy.

It is in this regard that Dr. Mayaki called upon all partners and stakeholders to support PAFFO given that, a well functioning PAFFO would be in the interest and to the benefit of Africa.

Dr. Mayaki, explained the African Union growth and development thrust as reflected in the NEPAD programmes, noting that agriculture particularly through the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) is one of the core priority areas in advancing Africa's overall socio-economic growth and development.

He went on to add that the NEPAD Agency working together with the African Union Commission (AUC) and the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) will proactively engage with farmers through the various national and regional farmers' organisations and indeed through the PAFFO.

"Farmers have an important role in ensuring the good application of the NEPAD fundamentals - such as transparency, accountability and local ownership. Therefore, farmers' participation has to be supported and facilitated as an integral component throughout the entire development process – from conceptualisation to implementation and evaluation," said Dr. Mayaki.

He noted that the recently unveiled NEPAD-led 'Rural Futures Programme' will help give a broader and comprehensive thrust to addressing the African agriculture development agenda through CAADP.

The Rural Futures Programme aims to give a broader and integrated perspective to rural development with agriculture as the main "thread" that can help to draw attention to other sectoral issues such as infrastructure and information and communication technologies for the purposes of rural development.

The PAFFO launch meeting is expected to endorse the governance plan for the PAFFO and elect the first PAFFO Executive Board.