"23-25 March. Yaoundé, Cameroon - 250 participants, including agriculture experts, development partners, researchers, scientists and other stakeholders from across Africa and beyond attended the seventh Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme(CAADP) Partnership Platform (PP) conference. The AUC officials included Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, NEPAD Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. Abebe Haile Gabriel of AUC and Head of CAADP-NPAC, Mr. Martin Bwalya.
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| Farmers, experts and global partners in attendance at the 7th CAADP PP |
The first two days were devoted to sharing-learning from CAADP Partners and members. The meeting was about the implementation of CAADP plan, sustaining the gains achieved over the years and giving attention to the management of resources. The meeting also reviewed the ongoing efforts in the regional and country-level.
Promises made by African leaders to increase their investment in agriculture to ten per cent of their national budgets have been met by only eight out of 53 countries. But annual international donations to agricultural research capacity in Africa have soared from US$25 million annually to US$120 million in the period 2005–2010.
CAADP implementation will focus on post-compact implementation and more specifically on the 2011 implementation support’’ considering the National Agriculture and Food Security Investment Plans as a central instrument for attracting increased private sector investment financing into agriculture.
“CAADP is about advancing the common vision of Africa for development. It is about sharing experience on CAADP implementation; facilitate dialogue and mobilizing efforts and energy for implementing Africa Agricultural development. It will pay attention to local ownership, issue around financing, private sector involvement and accountability”, Head of CAADP-NPAC, Mr. Martin Bwalya said. (Related an interview with Mr. Martin Bwalya in Brussels, dated 24/10/2007)
German Development Cooperation representative and current Chair of Development Partners for CAADP, Sonja Palm, while reiterating the readiness of the group to continue to support the growth of agriculture in Africa, identified some challenges that need to be addressed.
She said, “to ensure that we can build on existing momentum and that these plans translate to concrete coordinated and harmonised programmes that deliver results, policy-makers need to transfer ownership and understanding of their investment plans and detailed programmes to those who will take forward implementation. We strongly believe that technical and political support needs to target these people and organisations.”
Dr Mayaki’s interview on Morning live
Dr. Mayaki's interview on "Hello Cameroon" (the interview starts at 4:05)
Dr. Mayaki's interview on "Hello Cameroon" - Part B (interview ends at 5:55)
The other relevant links are:
Pictures , Videos: Documents
