Reflecting on 2010
As 2010 has come to a close, it is valuable to reflect on the progress that has been made in the implementation of CAADP over the previous year. To date, 22 countries have signed their country CAADP compacts, 18 have developed national agricultural investment plans, and 15 countries have held their technical reviews, out of which five (Ethiopia, Niger, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Togo) received a total of $223.5 million from the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP) fund. Other countries continue to sign on to the CAADP framework, including Mozambique, which just formally launched the process on December 13th.
The ReSAKSS Team made progress over the course of 2010 in working toward Phase II of support to CAADP implementation, which involves consolidation of ReSAKSS as a leading knowledge platform for agricultural policy planning and implementation in Africa, full operationalization of the CAADP monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system at the country level, and providing technical assistance for the establishment of country SAKSS nodes. Running the blog and validation of the CADDP M&E framework were notable achievements. While only the Rwanda SAKSS node was established, significant progress in terms of consultations with stakeholders and architectural layout of the node was made in several other countries, including Ghana, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo and Zambia. In mid-December, the ReSAKSS Team from different parts of the continent met to discuss strategies to speed up establishment of country SAKSS nodes, improve data collection and M&E, and prepare for the production of the 2011 Annual Trends and Outlook Report, which is the flagship ReSAKSS reporting for CAADP M&E.
Looking forward to 2011
Review and Dialogue: Early 2011 will see the 7th CAADP Partnership Platform (PP), which will be convened under the theme of “Enhancing mutual accountability in the implementation of the country CAADP investment plans.” Unlike at previous CAADP PPs, it is expected that the 2010 continental-level CAADP M&E Report will be used in a few country-level consultations and then presented alongside those countries’ agricultural sector progress reports. This will promote cross-country learning and dialogue to identify processes, policies and investments for raising growth and reducing poverty that are consistent with the CAADP agenda at all levels—national, regional and continental.
Country SAKSS Nodes: Full operationalization of the CAADP M&E system at the country level will depend on the establishment of the country SAKSS nodes, particularly in those countries that have signed their country compacts and validated their investment plans. In addition to Ghana, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo and Zambia where the process has already begun, other countries such as Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Tanzania and Uganda are expected to join Rwanda in achieving this milestone.
CAADP M&E Report: As mentioned above, planning of the 2011 Annual Trends and Outlook Report is already underway. The theme of this report will be agricultural productivity, specifically how to raise and maintain high levels across the continent by addressing two fundamental questions as to why there has been very little technological change and what has driven increases in efficiency in many places. The research will be undertaken in collaboration with IFPRI’s HarvestChoice to develop spatial aspects of the analyses for more intuitive targeting of policies and investments.
Other Events and Resources: Among the several events of relevance to CAADP that are expected to take place in 2011, the 16th African Union and G8/20 Summits stand out. At this year’s AU Summit, which will convene under the theme of “towards greater unity and integration through shared values” on January 25-31st in Addis Ababa, an assessment report on the G8/Africa partnership commitments will be discussed and finalized, and later presented by African Leaders at the G8/Africa Outreach. Hopefully, this will help improve support for Africa’s agriculture development and food security, and better facilitate financial resources for CAADP implementation. While the agendas for this year’s G8 and G20 Summits that will take place in France are not yet available, it is anticipated that reform of the international monetary system and financial regulation will be central issues, with obvious implications for ODA and foreign direct investment (FDI) in the agriculture sector.
Besides new ReSAKSS working papers and issue briefs on a variety of CAADP and agricultural development related topics, other resources for researchers and policy makers to look forward to in 2011 include the World Development Report (the 2011 theme is “Conflict, Security, and Development” ), Millennium Development Goals Report, and FAO’s State of Food and Agriculture Report. ReSAKSS will make available, through the blog and e-newsletter, news, outcomes, and insights from these meetings and reports as they relate to CAADP support and implementation.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!