RUFORUM hosts two side events on the margins of the African Union Extraordinary Summit on The Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme Strategy and Action Plan, 2026 – 2035

January 9 – 10, 2025, Speke Resort Convention Centre, Munyonyo, Uganda: On the margins of the African Union Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) summit, stakeholders of the Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems (AKIS) actively participated in two side events organized by RUFORUM and its partners, the African Union Commission (AUC), through its Departments of Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation (ESTI) and the Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment (DARBE) and the African Agricultural Research, Innovation, and Education Institutions (AARIEIs)  which include FARA, AFAAS, RUFORUM, AAU, IUCEA,ASARECA, CCARDESA, CORAF, ANAPRI, AGRA, and FANRPAN, among others. Representatives of the CGIAR system such as IITA, and ILRI participated in these events as well as representatives of the Uganda government.

The Summit was organized to finalize and adopt the third CAADP Strategy and Action Plan (2026-2035). The Strategy focuses on building resilient agri-food systems in Africa and builds on the achievements and challenges of the Maputo (2003) and Malabo (2014) CAADP declarations and action plans.

The side events titled “Building Africa’s Human Capital to Support CAADP Implementation and Africa’s 21st Century Development Needs” and ““Operationalizing the Abidjan II Communique Action Plan in support of Agriculture Transformation in Africa and CAADP Support” aimed to achieve two key outcomes: (1) To galvanise Africa’s higher education community and partners around a shared vision to support the delivery of the AUC- Second Agenda 2063 Ten Year Implementation Plan (STYIP) human capital targets; and (2) to engage African Agricultural Research and Education Institutions for the effective and efficient generation and delivery of scientific solutions for development by leveraging the momentum created through the Abidjan II communiqué for the implementation of the refreshed CAADP Strategy.

Mr Mahaman Bachir Saley, a representative of the AUC – ESTI, spoke on behalf of the Commissioner Prof Mohamed Belhocine at both side events, thanking the Government of Uganda for hosting this very important continental meeting and the organizers for their commitment to supporting the implementation of the CAADP Kampala Declaration, Strategy, and Action Plan to meet our continent’s 21st century development needs.

The CAADP Kampala Strategy development process adopted a consultative and multi-faceted approach, with key guiding principles; inclusion, evidence-based decision-making, subsidiarity and regional complementarities. The side events explored frameworks for the development of a Human Capital Strategy to transform Africa’s agri-food systems and fast track the operationalization of the Abidjan II communiqué to support the implementation of the CAADP Kampala Agenda. Furthermore, to reinforce partnerships for effective delivery of the CAADP implementation plan, the following immediate action plans were proposed among stakeholders:

1. Fast track the finalization and signing of the AARIEIs Partnership Engagement Framework;
2. Finalize the development and adoption of the institutional and governance framework that will guide the partnership between CGIAR and FARA-led AARIEIs;
3. Draft terms of reference of the AARIEIs Partnership Engagement Framework and a 10-year roadmap/action plan well aligned with the CAADP Kampala Declaration.
4. Organize a side event during the CGIAR Science Week in April 2025 during which the AARIEIs Partnership Engagement Framework will be signed, the 10-year action plan, as well as the institutional and governance framework will be discussed and validated.

The refreshed CAADP Strategy is farmed by six strategic objectives that collectively aim to sustainably intensify agricultural production, productivity and trade, increase access to finance, ensure food and nutrition security, address equity and inclusion, reinforce agri-food systems and their governance. A central theme across all these bold ambitions is the need to build the requisite human capital nested within the renewed AUC- STYIP program that aims to train 100,000 PhDs (25% in STEM) over the next decade. The side event was leveraging these AUC frameworks to deliberate on the initiatives, pathways, actions and the resources that will underpin the implementation of CAADP and contribution to the STIYP comprehensive economic development in line with the Africa we want.