Communications Experts: A Continental Agriculture Program Needs Continental Engagement

*Participants in the August 3-4, 2023 meeting of communications experts supporting the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme.*

Co-organized by the African Union Commission in partnership with Policy LINK, the gathering explored ways to boost national and regional engagement in the Biennial Review process, especially by typically underrepresented stakeholders like youth, women, and farmers’ groups

On August 3 and 4, 2023, communications experts from the African Union Commission (AUC) and its partner organizations met in Nairobi, Kenya to take stock of their support to the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP), the continent-wide framework for “agricultural transformation, wealth creation, food security and nutrition security, and economic growth.” The approximately two dozen attendees were part of a group, known as Technical Working Group 9, formed by the AUC as it embarked on its fourth Biennial Review (BR) of progress against the seven CAADP commitments (read more about the CAADP commitments here).

Co-organized by the AUC in partnership with Policy LINK, the gathering explored ways to boost national and regional engagement in the BR process, especially by typically underrepresented stakeholders like youth, women, and farmers’ groups. An August 2022 “critical analysis” of the third BR cycle, which covered the two-year period ending in 2021, recommended that the AUC prioritize communication and knowledge management activities around the fourth BR cycle, including by developing a joint work plan for implementation of these activities.

Included in that workplan will be specific ideas for strategic communication support and contributions from AUC partners and other CAADP stakeholders, harnessing these players’ information and knowledge management products. The August 3-4 meeting was an important step toward these goals, putting in place a coordination mechanism to facilitate collaboration among CAADP communication stakeholders.

In attendance were communication experts from the AUC and partner organizations, including the African Union Devlopment Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), the AU-Inter Africa Bureau for Animal Resources (IBARI). AU-Inter African Phytosanitary Council (IAPSC), Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), East African Community (EAC), Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA), World Food Program (WFP), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), and Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA).

Participants called for communications working groups at the continental, regional, and country levels as well as a communications community of practice—a platform through which experts can collaborate, share knowledge, and develop novel solutions to foster Africa’s agricultural growth. A related recommendation called for revamping the CAADP journalists and media network, which will help amplify news related to continental agricultural development and CAADP achievements.

*Ms. Panduleni Elago, CAADP Coordinator at the African Union Commission.*

In her opening remarks, Ms. Panduleni Elago, CAADP Coordinator at the AUC, emphasized the workshop’s importance for addressing communication challenges to effectively manage Africa’s vast agricultural resources. Agriculture is a critical component of most African economies, she stressed, accounting for between 50-80 percent of gross domestic product. Optimizing the agriculture sector’s potential would lead to much-needed economic growth and job creation.

Participants also emphasized the need for a CAADP communication framework that coordinates interventions at the continental, regional, and national levels. This will make possible more strategic engagement with governments, policymakers, and other stakeholders, ensuring the integration of program recommendations into national agricultural policies and budgets.

The workshop served as a rallying call for participants, who pledged to champion CAADP processes within their respective organizations, working collaboratively with the AU, Regional Economic communities (RECs), national governments, civil society organizations, and media to achieve impactful outcomes and clear strategies. It also fostered a renewed commitment to effectively communicate, collaborate, and advocate for a brighter future for African agriculture and rural communities.

With the AUC, which USAID has supported since CAADP’s inception in 2003, Policy LINK has worked behind-the-scenes to ensure that inputs to the BR process are gathered, validated, and published on-time. The BR report is the primary mutual accountability mechanism that the AU and its Member States use to track progress against CAADP commitments, which were articulated in the 2015 Malabo Declaration. The third BR report was endorsed in February 2022 by the assembly of African Heads of State and Government during the 35th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of AU Heads of State and Government. Read about the report launch here.