Parliamentarians Key to Africa’s Agricultural Development

*Former Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete speaking during an event, co-hosted by Policy LINK, during the Africa Agrifood Systems Forum in Dar es Salaam (photo:* *The Africa Agrifood Systems Forum).*

On September 5, 2023, Policy LINK, along with the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Program (CAADP) Non-State Actors Group, facilitated a meeting of elected parliamentarians from nine African countries to determine how national legislatures can more actively engage in CAADP and its target of ending hunger in Africa by 2025. The peer-to-peer discussions also touched on private sector investment and trade in the continent's agriculture sector.

The gathering, which was headlined by former Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, took place during the September 4-8 Africa Agrifood Systems Forum (AGRF) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The AGRF attracted more than three thousand private sector, civil society, government, and donor representatives, including USAID Deputy Administrator Isobel Coleman.

“The role of policy making is critical towards achieving Africa’s food systems transformation,” said former President Kikwete, who called on “the legislature and the executive [in African countries] ... to work closely to ensure that we have the right enabling environment” for agricultural development. His remarks were followed by three roundtable discussions exploring the “laws, policies, and regulations required for food systems transformation.”

Policy LINK has been engaging with legislators in parliament as part of its support to the African Union (AU) and its push for greater engagement in CAADP. Representing sub-national constituencies in their respective countries, parliamentarians have unique insights into how best to reach stakeholders, particularly those in rural and farming communities, and they have the unique mandate to oversee agricultural policies and budget.

*Hon. Neema Lugangira, Member of Parliament, Tanzania (photo: The Africa Agrifood Systems Forum).*

Reaching these diverse stakeholders is a key AU priority—and with good reason.

According to a youth representative, who spoke to the gathering about efforts her generation are making to improve performance in agriculture, young people are eager for more opportunities to engage in CAADP processes. A June 2023 Policy LINK survey of 209 youth-led organizations across Africa, for example, showed that only 13 percent reported being involved in those processes. At the same time, more than 70 percent of these organizations are working on issues related to CAADP and its agriculture and food security mandates.

That, says Policy LINK’s lead on CAADP activities, Edwin Odhiambo, is a missed opportunity.

“Agricultural development and food security are already top of mind for many citizens in the AU’s Member States,” said Odhiambo. “CAADP can help this broad cross-section of stakeholders merge around a common agenda, multiplying our collective impact.”

The CAADP agenda includes seven commitments, among them enhancing investment in agriculture, ending hunger and halving poverty by 2025, boosting intra-African agricultural trade, enhancing resilience to climate variability, and strengthening mutual accountability for actions and results.

Anchored in a Biennial Review (BR) of African states' progress against the seven commitments, CAADP has received "backbone" support from Policy LINK, which has spearheaded efforts to gather, analyze, and publish the BR data. (Read more about the latest BR here: With USAID Policy LINK Support, AUC Launches 3rd Biennial Review Report.)

The BR report draws on data self-reported by individual countries and then scored at the continental level to track their progress against the Malabo Declaration, the 2014 agreement that established continent-wide goals for “accelerated agricultural growth.” Findings are based on 43 indicators, each tied to one of the seven commitments, and 23 performance categories.

Enhancing the participation of parliamentarians in the CAADP process will ensure that the BR report is effectively utilized at the country level to advocate for critical reforms, planning and resource allocation, and follow-up with the executive branch. The BR data can inform parliamentarians’ decision-making, learning, dialogue, and consensus-building while helping them present a common position around issues important for their countries and constituencies.