Africa’s Agriculture Ministers Urged to Focus on Self-Reliance and Innovation at AU Summit
The Prime Minister of Uganda, Robinah Nabbanja, officially opened the African Union Extraordinary Assembly of Ministers of Agriculture, urging leaders across the continent to prioritise self-reliance, innovation, and climate resilience in Africa’s agricultural sector.
The session marked a critical milestone in the adoption of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Strategy and Action Plan 2026–2035, now referred to as the Kampala CAADP Agenda.
In her opening remarks, Nabbanja emphasised Africa’s potential to become food-secure, citing the continent's vast natural resources, fertile soils, and arable land. She lamented Africa’s dependency on food imports, which amounted to $100 billion in 2021, and called it “a shame” for a continent endowed with 65% of the world’s remaining uncultivated arable land.
“Why should a continent so richly blessed with natural resources depend on others to feed itself? We must take decisive action to change this narrative,” she stated.
The Kampala CAADP Agenda marks the third in a series of ten-year strategies aimed at achieving the goals set in the 2003 Maputo Declaration and Agenda 2063. The Prime Minister called for urgent reforms, noting the shortcomings highlighted in the 2023 biennial review of CAADP’s implementation.
“African countries need to do better to achieve the targets we set for ourselves two decades ago,” she said, urging ministers to guide the continent toward adjustments that would yield tangible results.
The Prime Minister proposed several measures to transform Africa’s agricultural sector, including: Policy Reviews to enhance food security and nutrition, investment in research for improved seeds and livestock, Mechanisation and Irrigation to mitigate climate change impacts, mobilisation for productivity to align the population with production goals, Elimination of Trade Barriers to bolster regional trade and cooperation, Value Addition to agricultural products like coffee, tea, and cocoa to maximize returns.
“We must take advantage of the African Continental Free Trade Area and stop exporting raw materials. Why not export finished and branded products from Africa?” she challenged the audience.
A Call for Implementation
As the CAADP Strategy and Action Plan 2026–2035 moves toward adoption, the Prime Minister urged the Ministers to channel their efforts into implementation, emphasising collaboration across national, regional, and continental levels.
“Let us work together in a complementary way to deliver the Africa we want,” she concluded.
The session is expected to produce actionable strategies for reducing Africa’s reliance on food imports, building climate-resilient agricultural systems, and unlocking the sector’s full potential. The outcomes of this meeting will be presented at the Assembly of Heads of State and Government for final approval.
