India aligns relation with Africa on AU 2063 agenda

NaijaAgroNet:

The India Secretary (West) in the external affairs ministry, Navtej Sarna, has said that India is aligning its relations with Africa alongside Agenda 2063 by the African Union, NaijaAgroNet reports.

He said India and Africa have been "brothers in arms in the fight against apartheid and colonialism,"  adding that there is a positive move towards democracy among African countries and following the adoption of the Agenda 2063 by the African Union, India is aligning its relations with Africa alongside this agenda, a global strategy to optimize use of Africa’s  resources for the benefit of all African and an Integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena.

Sarna, said that India's approach to ties with African countries was that of partnership adding that education and skill development is another area crucial to India-Africa relations.

Agriculture, blue economy and security are key aspects of India's ties with African countries, he said recently while addressing the media ahead of the third India Africa Forum Summit (IAFS) to be held late October.

He said India has also given a line of credit of $7.4 billion, about N1.47 trillion to Africa which is being utilised in 137 projects across 41 countries, NaijaAgroNet learnt.

"India has played a key role in terms of security in Africa. We have had 11 peace keeping forces. Even now, we have four peace keeping forces deployed there and 4,500 security personnel on the ground there." Sarna also said that Indian Navy has also played a key role in the east coast of Africa in terms of curbing piracy.

Blue economy was another area of cooperation India was building on with Africa, he noted. "Blue economy or ocean economy is very important for Africa. We are in talks with countries like Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, Seychelles and Mauritius," he said. He identified agriculture as another area of partnership.

"Despite having vast arable land, Africa still needs to get food from outside," said Sarna, adding that getting people from outside to farm agricultural land would be another point of discussion among the leaders.

Cyriacus Nnaji/GEE/ED.OPs

 
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Inclusion of Weather, Climate in STC status vital - Mukabana

NaijaAgroNet:

The Director of the African Ministerial Conference on Meteorology (inclusion of Meteorology and precisely weather and climate, in the established Specialized Technical Committees of the African Union, is vital AMCOMET) Secretariat in Geneva, Dr Joseph Romanus Mukabana, has stressed the inclusion of Weather and Climate Services in STC, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Dr. Mukabana made this known at the sideline of the newly inaugurated STC and underscored the importance of inclusion of Meteorology, saying that Weather and Climate information and Services provided by the WMO National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) in the amelioration of impacts of natural disasters caused by Weather and Climate extremes to the vulnerable communities in Africa.

 

Mukabana, who doubles as Director of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Office for Africa and Least Developed Countries (AFLCD), noted that Weather and Climate information and services provided by the WMO National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) in the amelioration of impacts of natural disasters caused to the vulnerable communities in Africa, could not be overlooked.

“The inclusion of Meteorology and precisely weather and climate, in the established Specialized Technical Committees of the African Union, is vital,” he declared.

This, he explained is imperative, considering their importance to human lives in the region.

He also expressed the hope that this suggestion by WMO would be considered by STC to afford Weather and Climate issues assume a cardinal part of the operational modality of the Union (AU)”, he maintained.

NaijaAgroNet recalled that in April 2010, the first Conference of Ministers Responsible for Meteorology in Africa, through the Nairobi Declaration, established the African Ministerial Conference on Meteorology (AMCOMET) as a high-level policy mechanism for the development of meteorology and its applications in Africa. AMCOMET is the inter-governmental authority on Meteorology in Africa.

+Remmy Nweke (ITRealms) in Addis Ababa 

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Malabo funding facility to leverage development partners relationship

NaijaAgroNet:

The African Union (AU) has advanced plans to ensure that the continent leverages its relationships with Development Partners (DPs), mostly in the implementation of the recently endorsed Malabo funding facility, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Revealing this to NaijaAgroNet in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia at the inaugural conference of Specialized Technical Committee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment (STC-ARDWE), the Coordinator of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), Mr. Komla Bissi, assured the judicious use of the facility.

Reacting to DPs commendations to AU at the opening session of STC, he reiterated that African Union is working with the development partners to explore and leverage on the options that could be available for financing some of continent programmes.

He also affirmed that the current ‘Malabo facility’ would not disturb in any way the various on-going projects across the continent.

“We just concluded a discussion on the new financing facility, which we’re calling the Malabo facility,” he asserted.

Mr. Bissi explained that this facility is being put together from various sources, namely the AU, development partners, and private sectors to support countries particularly in implementing the commitment made in the Malabo facility and the programmes that have been identified.

His office through the AU is presently consulting with “Our member states. So, these discussions will be concluded this afternoon at the ongoing meeting of ST-ARDWE in Addis Ababa, whereas specific recommendations will be tabled for Ministers for consideration.”

NaijaAgroNet recalls for instance that recently, the World Bank highlighted that across Sub-Saharan Africa, poor infrastructure is a major bottleneck for sustainable development, just as signaling a new push and renewed commitment, could boost investment and catalyzes greater cooperation.

While infrastructure deficit has remain atop challenges of the continent’s ability to lay the foundations for sustained economic growth and productivity improvements needed to end poverty and boost shared prosperity on the continent.

+Remmy Nweke (ITRealms) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
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Malabo Declaration, a stakeholder reference for next decade - EU

NaijaAgroNet:

Chairman of the European Union (EU) Development Partners Task Team, represented by the Head, Operations at EU Delegation to African Union, Ms Anna Burylo, has described the Malabo Declaration as a reference point for all African development stakeholders for the next decade, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Specialised Technical Committee (STC) on Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment at the African Union headquarters, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, assured of their support to Malabo Declaration, stressing that Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) agenda is articulated into the new context created by the Malabo Declaration.

As said by her, the CAADP Results Framework (RF) along with the Malabo Implementation Strategy and Roadmap (IS&R) as well as its related programme of work are key documents demonstrating African leadership and framing Development Partners (DPs) and all other Malabo stakeholders action at continental, regional and national level, in particular through a set of headline indicators.

“All partners should adopt and adapt to these documents,” the EU Development Partners chair declared.

Pointing out that how DPs could align and tract their actions against such documents is a key issue of partnership.

 This is because, they would be able to frame the mutual accountability system which DPs will adhere too along with all other African CAADP and Malabo stakeholders, especially those seeking to coordinate and harmonise projects and programmes across Africa, by way of ensuring that food security and agriculture actions in global processes such as G8 and G20 align with African priorities and needs.

+Remmy Nweke (ITRealms) in Addis Ababa 
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