Malabo declaration to address agriculture financing gaps

Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) coordinator Komla Bissi has expressed optimism that the Malabo declaration will help in addressing financing gaps that might arise as a result of additional agriculture programmes with the region.

Adopted by African presidents in Malabo, Guinea in 2014, the declaration contains seven key commitments covering the 2025 vision and goals of Africa’s Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation.

And speaking at the ongoing inaugural meeting of Specialized Technical Committee (STC) on Agriculture, Rural development, Water and Environment in Addis Ababa, Bissi said member states have stressed the importance of extra funding in order to support the additional programmes.
“You see when presidents met in Malabo, Guinea, they agreed on specific areas within agriculture that need priority, for instance, ending hunger by 2015, investing financing in agriculture just to mention a few, now with the technical committee we are developing specific tool to be developed to advance in order to advance what was discussed in Malabo.
“Now these discussions, are indicating on the need to further finance the additional programmes what are being identified by the technical committees and that where the Malabo facility is coming in. specifically to address such issue hence drive the  agriculture agenda,” he said.
According to Bissi, the STC will further agree on specific time line, tools and instruments and advance the implementation of Malabo declaration while helping member states help identifying priority programmes that need financing.
He further stressed on the need for member states to make their programmes practical as this will help in strengthening the agriculture agenda for Africa.
“At the end of it all, the report which will come from the meeting will encompass all these ideas and modalities and will be given to the ministers for approval. Agriculture has been given a priority sector and so we must be vigilant about it,” he said.
In June 2014, African presidents met in Malabo, Guinea and agreed to among other issues uphold the 10% public spending target in financing agriculture, commit to zero hunger-ending hunger by 2015, commitment to halving poverty by 2015, boosting intra-African Trade in Agricultural commodities, enhancing resilience of livelihoods and production systems to climate change and commitment to mutual accountability to actions results.  These were then called the Malabo declaration.