The African Union Commission has re-affirmed its commitment to agriculture, in a new partnership with the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA).
Signing a Memorandum of Understanding with AGRA here yesterday, Africa Union´s Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, Tumusiime Rhoda, said the signing of the MOU is a re-affirmation of the need to work with AGRA as it has a competitive edge in dealing with smallholder farmers on the continent.
She said the MOU is expected to make the continent more food secure. The agreement will foster collaboration and strengthen the working relationship between the Africa Union Commission (AUC) and AGRA to support the implementation of AU´s Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP).
CAADP brings together key players – at continental, regional and national levels – to co-ordinate, share knowledge, successes and failures and to promote joint and separate efforts to achieve the CAADP goals.
Explaining further that 2014 will be declared as the AU Year of Agriculture and Food Security she said, “We need everybody, wherever they are placed and in whatever they do, to be part of building the case for agriculture and demonstrating what agriculture can do on the continent throughout the year of 2014.”
Speaking at the launch, Deputy Chairman, AGRA, Strive Masiyiwa said it is a coincidence that the Africa Union used its platform to bring African leaders together 10 years ago in Maputo to launch the agriculture revolution with the pledge of 10 per cent of their national budget towards agriculture.
“It is wonderful that we are here in Maputo to access how far we have gone and how to re-assess so as to defeat hunger in Africa.” The President of AGRA, Jane Karuku, speaking on what AUC has done with CAADP in eliminating hunger and reducing poverty through agriculture, promised the support of AGRA in increasing agriculture productivity and promote agriculture development by addressing best practices.
By ORTON KIISHWEKO, Tanzania Daily News
