Stakeholders task African leaders on agric financing

Stakeholders in the agricultural sector have called on Heads of the African Union (AU) to implement the Maputo and Malabo summits of 2003 and 2014, to boost the sector.

This appeal was made ahead of the third Biennial Review of the African Union Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development (CAADP).

The drafted seven-point agenda includes the allocation of 10 per cent of their national yearly budgets to the agriculture sector, as endorsed at the Maputo summits.

It is believed that Nigeria and other African countries would benefit tremendously if the implementation of Malabo 2014 declarations is effected.

Some of the benefits include re-commitment to principles and values of CAADP process; enhanced investments in agriculture with 10 per cent spending target, as well as ending hunger by the year 2025.

Others are, reducing poverty by half in 2025; boosting inter-African trade; enhancing the resilience of livelihoods and mutual accountability to actions and results.

According to the International Project Manager for Scaling-up Investments in Agriculture, ActionAid Nigeria, Constance Okeke, the biennial preview results, BR-3, launch was an accountability process, designed to measure the progress of CAADP implementation in all African countries.

Disclosing this during a two-day pre-BR-3 launch with the theme: “Strengthening Accountability and Utilisation of biennial preview results, Okeke said, “every two years, a review is done to see how the programme is being implemented and countries data are submitted to the African economic regional communities, who in turn submits to the African Union.

“They are analysed and prepared a report to Heads of States during their summit at the beginning of the year.

Okeke said, “This is the third biennial review. It started in 2017 with the first report released in the 2018 summit and the second BR for 2019 was submitted at the African Heads of States summit in 2020.

“The idea of having this event is to join forces and resources to ensure that one of the primary key stakeholders in the agricultural development, which is the media is at the forefront of these issues.”