Over the years, farming activities and projects in Ghana have targeted the alleviation of food insecurity and malnutrition especially in Northern Ghana by promoting crop-specific agroecological systems and sustainable development practices.
FARA, for the past two decades, hosted by the government of Ghana, has supported in youth capacity development programs and activities through YPARD, provided support in mainstreaming the culture of knowledge co-creation for sustainable agriculture, strengthened multi-stakeholder partnerships through innovation platforms and mainstreamed the Science Agenda for Agriculture (S3A) in Ghana’s government flagship programmes.
So much more can be achieved overtime when farmers and farm activities are strongly considered under centre stage of policy making priorities.
Join FARA pay tribute to the hardworking farmers of Ghana.
President Bola Tinubu yesterday promised a new era in the country’s agricultural sector, vowing that it would no longer be business as usual as his administration seeks to boost food security as well as diversify the economy from over-reluance on petroleum.
Speaking at the opening of the 6th Africa – Wide Agricultural Extension Week (AAEW), with the Theme: “Harnessing Agricultural Extension and Advisory Services in Scaling Regenerative Agriculture and Nature-Based Solutions for Food System Transformation in Africa”, the president emphasised the huge potential of agriculture as a key driver of the economy.
Represented by the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, Tinubu also maintained that agriculture remained a potent tool to fight unemployment, hunger and poverty.
He said it was against this background that his present administration unveiled an 8-point agenda which include food security; poverty eradication; growth, job creation and access to capital among others.
The president reiterated his commitment to restructuring the economy from unnecessary borrowing to finance government programmes as well as create jobs, achieve economic growth, end poverty and ensure prosperity for all Nigerians.
He said going forward, agriculture must now be market-oriented, and move away from the subsistence farming culture currently been practiced by smallholder farmers.
To achieve this, he stated that the government came up with programmes including the National Agriculture Growth Scheme-Agro-pocket, where millions of farmers are supported through training on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), certified inputs such as improved seeds and organic and inorganic fertilizers and irrigation equipment at highly subsidised prices to enhance their production, increase productivity and ultimately higher incomes to farmers.
The president specifically noted that agricultural extension plays a critical role in bringing relevant and improved technologies developed by National Agricultural Research Institutions (NARIs), inputs suppliers and marketers to farmers.
He said to strengthen agricultural extension delivery services in the country, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has put together the first ever Harmonised Extension Manual in Nigeria and National Agricultural Extension Policy – both of which he also launched during the event.
He explained that the harmonised extension manual focuses on how to effectively disseminate and deploy agricultural innovations/technologies to end-users using appropriate extension methods.
He said the document would be of great benefit to extension administrators, subject matter specialists, extension agents as well as farmers along the agricultural value chains.
Similarly, the agricultural extension policy seeks to provide a pragmatic, effective and efficient demand driven plurastic, ICT-enabled and market-oriented extension service to all stakeholders including youths, women, and people with special needs to optimally use resources to promote sustainable agriculture and socio-economic development of the country.
Tinubu, also reassured Nigerians of his government’s renewed commitments towards attaining food security in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda.
He said, “Our resolve is to develop the agricultural sector towards the attainment of the objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) especially those of zero hunger and to improve agriculture and rural productivity.
“Nigeria’s current plan is to achieve self-sufficiency in food production and reduce dependency on food imports.”
He added that the present administration remained open to suggestions that could, “enhance our efficiency and effectiveness in repositioning Nigeria agriculture and I hope this conference will come up with actionable solutions to agricultural challenges in Nigeria.”
He hailed the African Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services, (AFAAS) for coming up with the conference as well as development partners including USAID, GIZ, IFPRI, among others for their support to creating a platform where African countries interact to channel the best course of action aimed at agricultural extension service delivery for agricultural prosperity.
He also commended their efforts that culminated in the production of Harmonised extension services manual and policy framework.
FOLLOWING calls by the African Union to enhance trade in Regional Economic Communities (RECs) through the implementation of Common African Agro Parks Programme (CAAPs), Zimbabwe and Zambia signed a trade agreement in 2021 valued over US$12million, which is about to bear fruit.
Speaking in Lusaka during the just ended inaugural coordination meeting of Regional Economic Communities (RECs) for the implementation of the Common African Agro-Parks programme, Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Chief Director Florence Makombe from Zimbabwe, explained that the trade agreement between Zimbabwe and Zambia rides on the already existing bilateral trade, which has culminated in a series of meetings and talks between the two countries aimed at actualizing the agro park to boost food production and trade.
Ms. Makombe disclosed that the agriculture industrial park between the two countries includes the following value chains: Soybean, dairy, wheat, horticulture, maize and fisheries.
Ms. Florence Makombe, Chief Director of Ministry of Industry and Commerce
“There has been progress made on the Zimbabwe and Zambia trade agreement which is expected to blossom in terms of food production. Now, there is need to adjust from the last meeting held in Harare recently, which looked at the legal framework,” She revealed.
The Director of the Ministry of Commerce, Trade, and Industry of Zambia, Musokotwane Sichizuwe said Zambia has the capacity in terms of the agriculture sector given also the favorable weather.
Mr. Sichizuwe says once a feasibility study is conducted in Zambia, it will help unpack most of the criteria requirements.
“Zambia has prioritized farm blocks. Initially, the focus was on special economic zones but now extended to farm blocks. It aligns well given that we are trying to do some of these things at a regional level,” he disclosed.
Mr. Brian Ngandu from Ministry of Agriculture of Zambia said that Zambia and Zimbabwe have enjoyed a long-lasting trade relationship. This is advantageous to both countries as their identified trade agreement is likely to stimulate increased trade.
The Director of the Ministry of Commerce, Trade, and Industry of Zambia, Musokotwane Sichizuwe (left) and Mr. Brian Ngandu, Ministry of Agriculture of Zambia (right)
Although, Zambia and Zimbabwe may not have the same land polices, the implication is that both countries may need to reform policies to align with the goals of CAAPs and to also strengthen this agro park initiative to attract and unlock business opportunities in order to enhance trade between the two countries.
It is clear that CAAPs are critical if trade is to be enhanced intra and regionally in a bid to make the African continent food secure and also produce surplus for export.
Principal Advisor, Value chains, Office of the Secretary General Themba Khumalo explained that CAAPs involves agreed actions between two countries to identify trade opportunities.
“Our target is to have excess food for trade and where there are domestic projects will be supported, CAAPs aims to promote regional integration and trade,” Mr Khumalo said.
r. Themba Khumalo, Principal Advisor, Value chains, Office of the Secretary General, AfCFTA
To catalyze CAAPs, countries need to justify their projects within their Regional Economic Communities (REC) for the implementation of the Common African Agro-Parks programme. Once countries identify and concretize their projects, they need to sign agreements and trade. For these CAAPs to be viable and translate into tangible results, there is need to ensure private sector investment.
Mr Khumalo said, “when pursuing these investments, there will be need for private sector players to be able to present their projects and mobilize resources to actualize trade agreements”.
He clarifies whatever projects exist in countries aside the identified CAAPs continues, although it is better to enshrine them in the regional investment plans for purposes of recognition as a CAAPs regional integration plan.
“We need to radically change the way we work to actualize and achieve the goals of the CAAPs,” Mr. Khumalo said.
He advised that countries need to look at their own domestic interests, what is existing and how best it can be scaled up. This should be coupled with a commitment to create an enabling policy environment and trade among others so as to avoid any barriers between countries wanting to promote trade in their RECs.
Mr Khumalo explained that for the CAAPs to be recognized and supported, certain criteria need to be met as spelled out in the Abuja declaration.
The Abuja declaration criteria outlines some of the critical elements of setting up a CAAPs within a RECs. Among them, is taking into account the nature of strategic importance in relation to integration, economic growth and food security. Further, there is need to ascertain what is on the ground within the context of feasibility of projects, as there must be a base to engage some of the partners for a pre-feasibility.
This means when looking at most entities, there will be need for feasibility study, which will entail the community having basic information to make decisions and demonstrate the ability to promote regional boosting. Overall, there is need to look at whether countries are able to commit from a policy point of view as a country, outside investor zones to enable the private sector to make informed decisions. It is key for countries to critically look at their comparative advantages and harmonize their investments with financial commitment towards agreed value chains.
Common African Agro-Parks (CAAPs) are vehicles aimed at driving cross border projects to leverage on initiatives which focus on priority or strategic commodities. It is envisioned this approach will spur economic development and transformation in Africa, as espoused within the framework of the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063. – National Agricultural Information Service
THE Common African Agro-Parks Programme (CAAPs) prospects to externalize about US$50 billion per year from imported food commodities from outside the continent, it has been revealed.
CAAPs was established in 2019 as on of the initiatives of the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) and given the mandate to boost local processing and regional trade for agricultural commodities and their value chains.
However, the trend is about to change owing to the promotion of intra-trade in Africa.
The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) assistant secretary general in charge of the programme Mohammed Kadah said CAAPs seeks to reverse externalization of funds by promoting cross-border agriculture value chains and attracting investments in agro-industrialization.
Dr. Kadah was speaking during the opening of a coordination meeting of CAAPs recently.
“Over the last five years, African countries have collectively spent approximately US$50 billion annually to import food products. Shockingly, this figure is expected to rise to US$110 billion per year by 2025…” he said.
He said with the projected increase in Africa’s population by 2050, there will be need for significant increase in agricultural production to ensure sufficient, affordable, healthy and nutritious food for all Africans.
Dr. Kadah said Africa should draw lessons from the disruption of supply chains caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which exposed the continent’s vulnerability to external shocks.
He said the crisis in Ukraine also highlighted Africa’s dependence on external sources for food products and agricultural inputs.
Dr. Kadah said the two episodes demonstrate the need to break free from dependence on international food markets.
“It is clear that Africa’s inability to claim its food market, which is currently outsourced from the rest of the world, is a significant source of concern for African countries and international partners” he said.
Dr. Kadah also said lack of Industrial capacity to process and add value to raw agricultural products results in post-harvest losses and meagre revenues for farmers.
He thanked the African Union (AU) for the initiative to establish five common agro-industrial zones in the five geographical regions of the continent.
And African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) head of Environmental sustainability division Mamadou Diakhite said full implementation of CAAPs strategies will promote regional agro-forestry industrialization in Africa.
The CAAPs programme was ratified as a flagship initiative of the AU Agenda 2063 during its 36th Summit in February 2023 to create transboundary mega agro-industrial hubs across Africa.
This falls within the CAADP framework and the AU Agenda 2063.
Common African Agro-Parks (CAAPs) are vehicles aimed at driving cross border projects to leverage on initiatives which focus on priority or strategic commodities. It is envisioned this approach will spur economic development and transformation in Africa, as espoused within the framework of the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063.
Principal Advisor, Value chains, Office of the Secretary General Themba Khumalo explains that CAAPs involves agreed actions between two countries to identify trade opportunities.
“Our target is to have excess food for trade and where there are domestic projects that will be supported, CAAPs aims to promote regional integration and trade,” Mr. Khumalo said.
Mr. Themba Khumalo, Principal Advisor, Value chains, Office of the Secretary General, AfCFTA.
To catalyze CAAPs, it’s about countries justifying their projects within their Regional Economic Communities (REC) for the implementation of the Common African Agro-Parks programme. Once countries identify and concretize their projects, they need to sign agreements and trade. For these CAAPs to be viable and translate into tangible results, there is a need to ensure private sector investment.
Mr. Khumalo says when pursuing these investments, there will be a need for private sector players to be able to present their projects and mobilize resources to actualize trade agreements.
He clarifies whatever projects exist in countries aside the identified CAAPs continues although it is better to be enshrined in the regional investment plans for purposes of recognition as a CAAPs regional integration plan.”
“We need to radically change the way we work to actualize and achieve the goals of the CAAPs,” Mr. Khumalo says.
He advised that countries need to look at their own domestic interests, what exists and how best it can be scaled up. This should be coupled with a commitment to create an enabling policy environment for trade and, among others, to avoid any barriers between countries wanting to promote trade in their RECs.
Mr. Khumalo explained that for the CAAPs to be recognized and supported, a certain criterion needs to be met as spelled out in the Abuja declaration.
The Abuja declaration criteria outlines some of the critical elements of setting up a CAAPs within a RECs. Among them is considering the nature of strategic importance in relation to integration, economic growth, and food security. Further, there is a need to ascertain what is on the ground in the context of feasibility of project, as there must be a base to engage some of the partners for pre-feasibility.
This means when looking at most entities, they will be needed for feasibility study, which will entail the community having basic information to decide and demonstrate the ability to promote regional boosting. Overall, there is need to look at whether countries can commit from a policy point of view as a country outside investor zones to enable private sector to make those decisions. It is key for countries to critically look at their comparative advantages and harmonize their investments with financial commitment towards agreed value chains.
A typical case of a CAAPs is the trade agreement between Zimbabwe and Zambia dubbed “Common Agriculture Industrial Park (CAP)” signed between the two countries in 2021. The partnership between the two countries is valued at over US$12 million.
Speaking in Lusaka during the inaugural coordination meeting of Regional Economic Communities (REC) for the implementation of the Common African Agro-Parks programme, Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Chief Director Florence Makombe from Zimbabwe, explains that the trade agreement rides on the already existing bilateral trade.
Chief Director Florence Makombe, Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Zimbabwe
Ms. Makombe disclosed that the agriculture industrial park between the two countries includes the following value chains: Soyabean, dairy, wheat, horticulture, maize, and fisheries.
“There has been progress made on the Zimbabwe and Zambia on the agreement. There is need to adjust from the last meeting held in Harare were looking at the legal framework,” She said.
Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry, Director Industry, Musokotwane Sichizuwe says Zambia has the capacity in terms of the agriculture sector also given the favorable weather.
Mr. Musokotwane Sichizuwe (left), Zambian Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry with colleague Chipoka Mulenga (right)
Mr. Sichizwe says once a feasibility is conducted in Zambia, it will help unpack most of these criteria requirements.
“Zambia has prioritized farm blocks. Initially, the focus was on special economic zones but now it is extended to farm blocks. It aligns well given that we are trying to do some of these things at a regional level,” he disclosed.
Mr. Brian Ngandu, Ministry of Agriculture, Zambia
Ministry of Agriculture, Brian Ngandu says Zambia and Zimbabwe have enjoyed a long-lasting trade relationship. This is an advantage to both countries as their identified trade agreement is likely to stimulate increased trade.
While, Zambia and Zimbabwe may not have same the land polices, the implication is that both countries may need to reform policies to align with goals of CAAPs and strengthen this agro park initiative to attract and unlock business opportunities in order to enhance trade between the two countries. – National Agricultural Information Services
