Staff Reporter

NAMIBIA has joined the ranks of countries which have signed the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), a proper settlement committing members to prioritising the acceleration of agricultural development.

“To reinforce our collective commitment to the agri-food sector, we will today witness the signing of Namibia’s CAADP Compact by representatives of key stakeholders. This event will position Namibia among the few countries on the continent that have ratified the Malabo Declaration and signed the Compact, joining other nations such as Zambia, Botswana, and Rwanda,” mentioned Obeth Kandjoze, Director General of the National Planning Commission, talking on behalf of the Minister of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform, Calle Schlettwein.

He made these remarks on the signing of the CAADP Compact and the launch of the Strategy for the Transformation of the Agri-Food Sector (STAS). Kandjoze defined that each one AU member states are required to develop methods aligned with CAADP’s key targets, which embrace allocating no less than 10% of public expenditure to agriculture and rural growth to attain a 6% annual agricultural development fee, creating job alternatives for no less than 30% of the youth in agricultural worth chains, and tripling intra-African commerce in agricultural commodities and companies.

“The Compact, as indicated earlier, will serve as a formal agreement through which all stakeholders in the agri-food sector will collectively commit to executing the plans outlined in the Strategy. This agreement will be vital to accelerating agricultural growth and transformation for shared prosperity and improved livelihoods for our people,” he mentioned.

Kandjoze defined that the CAADP is a results of the Maputo Declaration on Agriculture and Food Security, signed by African Union (AU) Heads of State and Government in 2003.

“CAADP was further amplified and strengthened in 2014, when the AU adopted a second declaration on ‘Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation for Shared Prosperity and Improved Livelihoods,’ known as the ‘Malabo Declaration’, running for a period of 10 years from 2014 to 2025. Through the Malabo Declaration, the AU Heads of State and governments reaffirmed that agriculture remains a priority on the continental development agenda,” he added.