The
Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) has
said that the current public investments of 10 per cent in agriculture, across Africa’s
national budgets remain small.
This is coming as agriculture is reportedly back on the
political-policy agenda across the continent, although the 10 per cent budget
allocation to agriculture remains inadequate.
NaijaAgroNet
recalls that CAADP's goal is to eliminate hunger and reduce poverty through
agriculture and as a way of achieving this goal, African governments agreed to
increase public investment in agriculture by a minimum of 10 per cent of their
national budgets and to raise agricultural productivity by at least 6 per cent
by the year 2015.
Speaking,
however, in Addis Ababa recently, the Head, NEPAD Mr. Martin Bwalya,
told a high-level session of African leaders and International partners, that
the 10 per cent national budget allocation to agriculture is still very low,
despite “Agriculture is back to the political-policy agenda.”
Also,
he said, that as ways of aadvancing CAADP implementation strategies in
the last 10 years there are some key results that have impacted on the
initiative, namely that 43 out
of 54 countries are actively engaged in the process.
Additionally, he
said that 28 investment plans have been developed so far with 27 business meetings
held while 31 countries seemed compacted to the scheme.
Proffering further sustainable
modules, he said that spotlights
on the social protection integral to a growth and development agenda are no
longer negotiable, just as cconsistent and coherent African vision, agenda and positions could serve
as a boost to democratic
governments and improved public finances-revenue, thereby seeing to improved planning
for CAADP.
Urbanization across Africa is
expected to grow to 50 per cent by 2013, while youthful population, that is 40
per cent for ages under 23 years, even as globalisation based on food and energy prices as well as climate change
must be tackled to make a difference.
Further, he
pointed out that growing political commitment to increased budgetary
allocations was another boost for CAADP initiative, emphasising that regional integration and
coordination based on evidence-based and peer-reviewed agricultural
plans and programmes would go a long way in checkmating the food insecurity in
Africa.
“Poverty, hunger and malnutrition are one of the most
critical factors pulling down Africa socio-economic growth and development,” he
observed.
Remmy Nweke
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