Since its adoption in 2003, the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) has established a reputation as a framework of support for sustainable agricultural development in different countries and regions of Africa. Several African countries have now signed their CAADP compacts with the support of the ReSAKSS network. As we enter the post-CAADP compact implementation phase in many countries, it is important to streamline the areas of intervention of CAADP by making only those incremental and value-added changes to the current services provided by CAADP as are necessary. The value-added changes need to be strictly in line with emerging development realities and the specific needs of African countries, while safeguarding the unique identity of CAADP. Greater emphasis should also be placed on the identification of key success strategies and best practices that can be shared across countries and regions, with the aim of maximizing mutual comparative advantages for poverty reduction.

Cross-cutting issues of gender and the equal inclusion of marginalized groups should be woven through the CAADP implementation process. This will enhance productive employment and sustainable livelihoods, particularly for poorer people, communities, women, disadvantaged groups, and populations emerging from conflict and authoritarian rule. Simply increasing agricultural investments to achieve CAADP targets will not be sufficient. Attaining quality agricultural investments, in terms of setting the right priorities, maintaining a standard of administrative and resource efficiency, and developing investment strategies tailored to each country’s specific needs, should be a goal for African governments and their development partners alike. This will ensure that investments are being used effectively and are targeted to areas with the highest returns. All of CAADP work should be underpinned by an emphasis on practical implementation mechanisms in order to achieve maximum results and further consolidate the gains of agricultural transformation going on in Africa.

A focus on effective knowledge management, peer learning, team work, and results should be reflected in systematic attention to, and monitoring of, the quality of outputs of all CAADP stakeholders and partners. ReSAKSS is placing greater emphasis on evidence-based advocacy through systematic and regular feeding of analytical results into development dialogue by highlighting the contribution of specific results to key thematic issues at the global, regional, country, and sectoral levels. To date, we have carefully presented evidence-based results of policy, growth, and investment options that can reduce poverty and catalyze overall economic growth in different African countries at different levels. Our activities in the last few months have focused on improving the transparency and accountability of public governance as well as strengthening the capacity of African governments to prioritize policies and investments, allocate and utilize resources, implement strategies, and create an enabling environment for agricultural growth and poverty reduction. Going forward, we are convinced that local ownership in the design and implementation of policy and investment strategies enshrined in the CAADP compacts of individual countries is crucial.

 -Babatunde Omilola

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