Context
Agriculture provides a livelihood for almost two thirds of the African population. Against this background, the African Union (AU) recognises a need to boost investment and productivity in this sector. The Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) has served as the framework for action for agricultural transformation across Africa since 2003. As an African Union initiative, CAADP supports member states in increasing investment and productivity in the agricultural sector. The aim is to achieve annual agricultural growth rates of more than 6 per cent as a means of promoting food security and economic development.
CAADP gained considerable momentum in 2014 when the AU member states adopted the Malabo Declaration, recommitting to the CAADP process and pledging to develop and implement CAADP-based National Agricultural Investment Plans (NAIPs). The purpose of these country strategies is to boost investment and productivity in agriculture.
The technical body of the African Union Commission (AUC), the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA), coordinates the implementation of CAADP in AU member countries. Currently, however, the AUC and NPCA do not have sufficient human and financial resources available to meet the AU countries’ need for support. Furthermore, there is still untapped potential for growth in private sector investment in agriculture.
Objective
The programme aims to develop skills, resources and capacities for country-level CAADP implementation at the AU Commission, the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency and in the regional economic communities (RECs).
Approach
On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), GIZ is supporting the AUC and NPCA in coordinating country-level implementation of the African Union's Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP).
The project has four modules:
- Policy Advice
- Climate Change Adaptation in Agriculture
- Agricultural Technical and Vocational Education and Training (ATVET)
- Women in ATVET
The Policy Advice module focuses on building capacities of the NPCA and the African Union Commission Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture (AUC DREA) to advise the AU member states on developing and implementing CAADP-based National Agricultural Investment Plans (NAIPs) and increasing private sector involvement in the CAADP process.
Organisational development, secondment of experts and coaching strengthen the human and technical capacities of the AUC DREA and NPCA. The project also supports the development and dissemination of CAADP knowledge products, such as manuals to provide practical guidance on CAADP implementation. The establishment of national Investment Facilitation Platforms improves dialogue between the public and private sectors. All the measures aim to empower women and young people, based on the recognition that the agricultural sector’s potential can only be utilised to the full on the basis of inclusion and broad stakeholder participation.
Results
Since 2003, 43 African countries have signed up to the CAADP process and 39 of them have begun to implement CAADP-based National Agricultural Investment Plans (NAIPs). GIZ has supported and facilitated this process at the continental, regional and national level.
By June 2017, support – in the form of technical expertise – had been provided for seven AUC DREA/NCPA country missions, focusing on NAIPs, to Malawi, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia and Tanzania.
In conjunction with the AU partner organisations, various strategies and studies on the involvement of the private sector have been developed, first and foremost the NEPAD Agribusiness Strategy for the continent as a whole. National investment facilitation platforms have been set up in Senegal, Uganda and Zambia to support the Strategy’s implementation.
