The African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the Malabo Declaration have called for the rapid transformation of Africa’s agrifood system. This ambitious agrifood system transformation agenda involves reconciling trade-offs across poverty reduction, food security, nutrition, and environmental goals.  The ReSAKSS 2020 Annual Trends and Outlook Report (ATOR) focuses on the policies required to transform African agrifood systems to meet their potential.

This paper presents results of a data partnership framework for strengthening evidence-based planning and implementation that was initiated in 2019 in five selected African countries (Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Senegal, and Togo) during the second round of the CAADP biennial review (BR) process. It analyzes the effect of the activities conducted on the data reporting rate and the quality of data reported in the five pilot countries, compared with what was achieved in like-pilot countries.

The 2014 Malabo Declaration and recommitment to the principles of CAADP on agriculture transformation by African Heads of State and Government heightened the importance of the agriculture sector as a driver towards shared prosperity and improved livelihoods. They committed to ‘Mutual Accountability to Results and Action’, and innovatively agreed to a biennial review of agricultural progress made against the Malabo Declaration.

This Second Biennial Review Report builds on the efforts of the first round and tracks the performance of countries on each of the 47 indicators (four more than in the inaugural report) that shows the performance of the continent towards a fully transformed agricultural sector. Considerable efforts have gone into improving the quality of the data, with more countries reporting in this round, and there is an Biennial Report to the AU Assembly on implementing the June 2014 Malabo Declaration...

The Director of IFPRI for Africa –Dr Ousmane Badiane, accompanied by Dr Greenwell Matchaya (ReSAKSS-SA Coordinator) had consultation meetings with the Minister of Agriculture for Angola Agriculture (Honourable Antonio Francisco de Assis) and Departmental Heads on the 16^th of August 2019.

 By Tsitsi Makombe

On May 30, 2019, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement entered into force. To trigger its implementation, the agreement needed a minimum of 22 country ratifications. The AfCFTA aims to gradually eliminate tariff and non-tariff barriers, accelerate regional and continental integration, improve customs and trade facilitation, develop regional and continental value chains, foster investment and industrialization, and ultimately, boost intra-African trade.