26 March 14 2014, Tunis– Graziano da Silva held a meeting with the Chief Executive Officer of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, on the sidelines of FAO’s Regional Conference for Africa (24-28 March Tunis, Tunisia).

Mayaki showed his appreciation for a decade of close work between the two agencies. “We thank FAO for continuous support as the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) celebrates its 10th anniversary”, Mayaki stated adding “thanks to FAO, the CAADP has progressed.”

“We still have a lot to do. We should link the processes to economic policies to make it a transformative engine,” he added.

The points raised underscored the importance of taking into account social inequalities and rural transformation issues. “There is a risk we are facing if we don't tackle some aspects as we will produce more food but our population might be still hungry. We have to be very careful. Growth alone is not enough.”

Graziano da Silva and Mayaki also discussed ways FAO could support the development of rural areas and promote family farming in the region. “Small-scale farmers, women and youth have to be supported to become commercial farmers, even in local markets,” Mayaki stressed.

Both agreed to continue discussions at the ministerial level during the ongoing Regional Conference this week, in order to reinforce the commitment of the continent to eradicate hunger by 2025.

They also highlighted the fruitful outcomes of the technical meeting recently held between NEPAD and FAO in Accra, Ghana.

Also mentioned was the 10th CAADP Partnership Platform meeting - an annual continental forum which brings together stakeholders in African agriculture- that took place in Durban last week with the participation of FAO. New approaches to teaming up with CAADP in nutrition issues were discussed.