FAO regional conference for Africa lends impetus to implementation of Malabo Roadmap, Sustainable Development Goals

“Transforming African Agri-food systems for inclusive growth and a shared prosperity” is the theme of the 29th FAO Regional Conference for Africa, taking place this week in Côte d’Ivoire’s capital.

More than 50 African ministers of agriculture and related sectors, high-level technical experts, representatives of regional organizations and institutions and civil society are participating in the event (4-8 April) to take stock of progress made in improving the continent’s food security and nutrition security and agree on areas for priority action over the next two years.

“Global trends and issues are expected to have direct or indirect impacts on the food and agriculture sector, with specific manifestations and impacts in the region,” said FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Africa Bukar Tijani in remarks made at the start of two days of technical talks that will be followed by a Ministerial Roundtable on 7 and 8 April.

“The national and regional actions that FAO can most effectively support will be firmly grounded in the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) through the Malabo Implementation Strategy and Road Map and the commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals,” he added.

FAO’s work will continue to focus on food security and nutrition; the fight against poverty; climate mitigation and adaptation and the sustainable use of natural resources, including energy and water scarcity; protecting against transboundary animal and plant diseases and pests as well as food safety threats; developing strong agri-food systems and boosting employment and trade, with a particular emphasis on women and youth.

Tackling global trends and issues in food and agriculture

Three recent important global developments will frame national and regional action and FAO’s work in the future: the UN’s adoption of 17 new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Paris Agreement adopted as an outcome of the UN Global Climate Change Conference, and the Rome Declaration on Nutrition and supporting framework for action approved at the Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2).

“The eradication of hunger remains at the heart of FAO’s mission. To date, the organization has helped deliver more than 90 agriculture and food investment projects across 40 countries, and these figures will continue to grow,” noted Tijani.

The organization has provided substantial assistance in policy formulation – including the design and implementation of the ECOWAS Zero Hunger Initiative and the CAADP Regional and National Agriculture Investment Plans to address food security and nutrition – he noted.

FAO has also developed a number of successful relationships with partners in support of these efforts and is looking to expand its cooperation with the private sector. This week’s conference includes a tracked aimed at exploring opportunities for Public-Private Partnerships for Inclusive Growth.

Expanding regional initiatives for development

FAO has focused and integrated its work in Africa through three main regional Initiatives. These reflect the priorities of member States and FAO’s Strategic Objectives and aim to achieve demonstrable impacts in a timely manner. The initiatives were developed via an in-depth cross-sectoral and interdisciplinary review of regional issues. They call for accelerated action by Member countries in the fight against hunger (Africa’s Commitment to End Hunger by 2025); the promotion of proven, innovative, and sustainable production and post-production practices (Sustainable Production Intensification and Value Chain Development in Africa); and strengthening the resilience of vulnerable farming and pastoralist communities (Building Resilience in Africa’s Drylands).

“The experience of targeting specific actions for specific contexts has placed sharp focus on the critical role of policy, governance and institutional dimensions in successful programme implementation,” Tijani said, adding that “it has also highlighted the need for improved data and statistics and the importance of addressing cross-cutting issues such as gender, climate change, nutrition and resilience building against crises and shocks.”

In the same vein, the Africa Solidarity Trust Fund (ASTF) is an innovative Africa-led fund that provides financial regional development initiatives. Its main goal is to strengthen food security across the continent by assisting countries and regional organizations in eradicating hunger and malnutrition, eliminating rural poverty, and managing natural resources in a sustainable manner.

The fund has allocated $35.5 million to 15 regional programmes and national projects covering 39 countries to boost efforts to eradicate hunger, widen market access, and support income and employment generation. During this biennium, the ASTF will also support the establishment of an African Centre for best practices, capacity development and South-South Cooperation (SSC) in collaboration with the African Union and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).

Through more regional initiatives of this kind, FAO will seek to accelerate and strengthen the programming, mechanisms, and capacity and delivery actions needed to translate into results the commitment to end hunger by 2025.

The conference’s opening session on Monday was chaired by the Ivorian Minister of Animal Resources and Fisheries, Kobenan Adjoumani, in the presence of the Ivorian Minister of Agriculture, Mamadou Coulibaly Sangafowa, and FAO Deputy Director-General for Natural Resources Maria Helena Semedo.