Recently, a special summit of the African Union was held in Kampala, Uganda. This summit was based on the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Program (CAADP). During this summit, African leaders announced the adoption of the Kampala Declaration for the transformation of Africa’s agri-food systems.
Highlights of African Union Summit 2025
- The Kampala Declaration was adopted for the transformation of Africa’s agri-food systems from 2026 to 2035.
- The CAADP action plan for the next decade aims to build sustainable and resilient agri-food systems.
- This summit replaced the Malabo Declaration.
- African leaders approved climate-smart innovations to address food security amid climate change.
- The African Union has set ambitious goals to end hunger and malnutrition by 2030.
- The new strategy aims to tackle challenges such as food security, climate change and economic problems.
- The summit emphasized the need to ensure coordination of policies in agriculture, nutrition and economic development.
- The summit was attended by leaders from various countries including Kenya, Ethiopia, Angola, Burundi and Somalia.
Overview of Kampala Declaration
- The Kampala Declaration contains several key agreements addressing critical issues concerning Africa. It is in line with the overarching objective of the Agenda 2063, which envisions a prosperous, integrated and peaceful Africa. It presents a roadmap for transformation, with clear implementation and monitoring strategies that will guide Africa’s progress.
Key elements of Kampala Declaration
- Transformation in agri-food systems: To address food security and agro-related challenges, the declaration emphasizes the need to build resilient food systems that can withstand climate change and economic shocks.
- Climate Change and Migration: The Kampala Ministerial Declaration, which is based on migration, environment and climate change, emphasizes the need for urgent action to mitigate the effects of climate change.
- Human Development and Social Transformation: The Kampala Declaration also draws attention to political, economic and human development. It reaffirms commitment to eliminate poverty, education and disease while promoting social equality and sustainable development.
- Support to the International Criminal Court (ICC): Apart from socio-economic issues, the declaration advocates continued cooperation with the International Criminal Court (ICC) to ensure justice and accountability in Africa.
Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP)
- The Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) was launched by the African Union (AU) in 2003. It is part of the New Africa Development Partnership (NEPAD).
- It aims to enhance food security, nutrition and incomes in Africa by addressing challenges faced in the agricultural sector.
- The program is based on principles such as ownership, participation, and evidence-based decision making.
- The program works to coordinate policies among African countries.
Goals
- Increasing agricultural productivity: The main objective of CAADP is to increase agricultural productivity in Africa.
- Increasing public investment in agriculture: CAADP advocates for governments to significantly increase investment in the agricultural sector, in order to promote agricultural development.
- Stimulating economic growth: CAADP seeks to promote economic growth by focusing on the agricultural sector, particularly through increased agricultural production.
- Budget and growth targets: CAADP has set ambitious targets to achieve 6% annual growth in agricultural productivity.
Evolution of CAADP
- The Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Program (CAADP) was established in 2003, and since then the program has undergone significant changes. The program has been shaped through a number of declarations to set clear goals for agricultural transformation in Africa.
- Maputo Declaration (2003): The 2003 Maputo Declaration on Agriculture and Food Security in Africa officially launched the CAADP. The declaration called on African governments to allocate at least 10% of their national budgets to the agricultural sector.
- Malabo Declaration (2014): In 2014 African presidents adopted the Malabo Declaration, which set more ambitious goals for the agricultural sector. The Malabo Declaration set goals that were in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It emphasized poverty eradication and sustainable agricultural growth. The Malabo Declaration presented a comprehensive vision for Africa’s agricultural future, with a culmination date set for 2025.
- Post-Malabo Agenda (2025): The Post-Malabo Agenda was adopted in January 2025, which begins a new phase of agricultural transformation in Africa. The agenda aims to increase the continent’s agri-food production by 45% by 2035. A key goal is to boost regional trade, and this will be done by leveraging the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to ensure free cross-border movement of agricultural textiles and services.
Importance of Kampala Declaration in Africa
- Climate Change: Africa is one of the continents most affected by climate change, which has a direct impact on migration patterns. The Kampala Declaration emphasizes adaptation strategies and improved human mobility management to address these challenges.
- Food Security for a Growing Population: Africa’s population is projected to reach 2.5 billion by 2050. The Declaration sets out a roadmap to ensure food security for this rapidly growing population.
- Internal Displacement: According to the 2023 report of the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, more than 7.5 million new internal displacement cases were recorded in just one year. If timely intervention is not taken, the number of displaced people in Africa could reach 105 million. The Kampala Declaration focuses on strengthening resilience-building initiatives across the continent to address issues of internal migration and displacement.
- Persistent hunger and malnutrition: Hunger rates are still high in Africa, and according to the FAO, 20.4% of the population faces food insecurity. The Kampala Declaration emphasizes tackling malnutrition and improving nutrition security.
- Not on track for resilience: Only two countries were on track to meet resilience-building targets by 2023. The Declaration emphasizes the need to intensify efforts to strengthen resilience in the face of climate and socio-economic challenges.
- Commitment to achieving key goals: The 2024 Biennial Review Report indicated that Africa is still lagging behind in meeting key commitments, such as ending hunger by 2025. The Kampala Declaration calls for renewed efforts and focus to achieve these ambitious goals by 2035.