Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – November 8 2024: Leaders of Sierra Leone and Guinea have vowed to replicate Ethiopia’s success story of agricultural transformation in their endeavors to ensure food security.
Following the conclusion of a three-day World Without Hunger Conference, the leaders visited the successful achievements gained in household farms in the East Showa zone of Oromia region.
Sierra Leone’s President Julius Maada Bio and Prime Minister Mamadou Oury Bah of the Republic of Guinea said that they have been desirous to emulate the achievements of Ethiopia, where it has tremendously embarked on activities of agricultural transformation.
The commitment of Sierra Leone and Guinea aligns closely with the CAAPs agenda, which aims to transform Africa’s agricultural sector through regional agro-industrial hubs. The CAAPs initiative, like Ethiopia’s agricultural reform, focuses on leveraging Africa’s natural resources, modernizing agriculture, and increasing food production to achieve food security, economic growth, ecological preservation and job creation.
ABOUT The CAAPs
The Common African Agro-Parks Programme (CAAPs) was initiated in 2019 as one of the concrete initiatives of the Comprehensive African Agricultural Programme (CAADP) to be implemented within the framework of the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063 in order to achieve the CAADP Malabo commitments, particularly the commitment to “triple intra-African trade in agricultural commodities and services.”
The President of China, Xi Jinping, once said, “If the world enjoys reasonable development, then the two big populations in the world must experience development.” This is true for China, which has succeeded in reducing poverty to the barest minimum, and ensuring industrial and infrastructural development over the last 40 years. Africa, on the other hand, seems to be struggling with its growth, trying to craft a pathway out of poverty, lack of infrastructure, youth unemployment, leadership crises, and social and political upheavals.
Africa has the opportunity to learn and find inspiration from China’s development pathways in many areas, including its agriculture. While there are apparent differences in the natural resource base of the two continents and the socio-political structures, the place of science and technology in orchestrating development is a unifying point. This underscores the development and operations of the China-Africa Innovation Cooperation and Development Forum. The forum has fostered cooperation in numerous areas including agriculture. Today, China is the largest trading partner of 55 countries in Africa and the biggest supplier of industrial equipment and machinery.
At the aegis of the 2024 China-Africa Innovation Cooperation and Development Forum in Wuhan City, China. The Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) and the Africa Academy of Sciences (AAS) launched a significant initiative, tagged “China-Africa Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Alliance (CAASTIA). The CAASTIA vision is to enhance modern agricultural development to reduce hunger and poverty in Africa. The alliance aims to deliver innovations, integrate agricultural research and industry resources from the two continents for mutual benefits, build cooperation on the value chain development of major commodities, and focus on common concerns of food security, biosecurity, green growth, and climate change.
CAASTIA will be hosted in Africa and China by its two co-founders, the AAS with the secretariat in Nairobi Kenya and CAAS with its headquarters in Beijing China. The supervising authorities in China are the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA); Ministry of Science and Technologies (MOST) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). In turn, the Department of Agriculture, Rural Economy (DARBE) of the Africa Union Commission (AUC) will be the Africa supervisor.
The Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) will be the key implementing partner of CAASTIA in Africa. The core activities of CAASTIA will commence in 2025, starting with the engagement of willing partner organizations and the enactment of its charter.
In an engagement with the president of CAAS, Prof Wu Kongning, during a visit to the CAAS campus in Beijing, Prof Wole Fatunbi, the Ag Director of Research and Innovation in FARA, emphasized the need for research collaboration to develop and or adapt small machinery equipped with robotics functions for smart tillage, weeding and other operations on the farm in Africa.
Prof Wole Fatunbi, Ag. Director of Research and Innovation, FARA
This will align with the continental craving to modernize Africa’s smallholder agriculture in alignment with the nature-based approaches that ensure soil health, biodiversity conservation, and the maintenance of Africa’s natural resource base.
The implementation of the China-Africa Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Alliance (CAASTIA) will kick-off in the first quarter of 2025.
Kampala, Uganda – 11 November 2024: The African Union (AU) has launched the Côte d’Ivoire-Ghana Cocoa Common African Agro-Park (CIG CAAP) under its Agenda 2063, in a bold and strategic initiative aimed at transforming Africa’s cocoa industry. Senior representatives from Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, the AU, and other key stakeholders convened in Kampala to inaugurate this collaborative milestone, designed to tackle pressing challenges and optimise opportunities in Africa’s cocoa sector through an innovative agro-industrial framework.
Dr. Dejene Tezera of FAO
The CIG CAAP is part of the broader Common African Agro-Parks (CAAPs) initiative, a flagship AU program envisioned to reshape Africa’s agricultural landscape by establishing integrated agro-industrial hubs throughout the continent. As two of the world’s top cocoa producers, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana jointly supply nearly 60% of the global cocoa market (World Cocoa Foundation). This partnership aims to strengthen both nations by shifting their focus towards value-added production, enhancing competitive market positioning, and promoting sustainable practices while driving forward the AU’s objectives of regional industrialisation and self-sufficiency.
Dr Janet Edeme, Head of the AU’s Rural Development Division, described the CIG Cocoa CAAP as “a powerful statement of our determination to convert Africa’s natural wealth into value-added products that elevate our economies, empower our youth, and transform our societies.”
The Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) is actively supporting the initiative through a dedicated and specialised research agenda targeting ten specific areas of study. FARA will engage leading academic and cocoa research institutions across Africa to recruit PhD candidates focused on advancing critical studies in cocoa production and processing, thereby fostering the next generation of African scientists. This focus reinforces FARA’s commitment to the long-term sustainability and competitiveness of the cocoa sector.
The AU, FARA, Afreximbank, and AfCFTA have united efforts to support the CIG CAAP through substantial investments in research, technical guidance, and innovative financing models. Anselme Vodounhessi, CAAPs Coordinator at FARA, emphasised the project’s commitment to a circular economy by repurposing cocoa byproducts such as husks and shells into environmentally friendly products like fertilisers, animal feed, and biofuels, setting new standards for sustainable industrial practices across Africa.
The meeting included a dedicated session on finalising the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the Pre-feasibility Study and Regional Value Chain Study, two pivotal steps in establishing the CIG CAAP. Under the guidance of UNIDO, with technical support from UNECA, IFPRI, and FAO, the ToR will enable detailed project planning, strategic resource mobilisation, and robust stakeholder engagement, paving the way for regional economic growth.
Paul Ntim of the Ghana Cocoa Board
The Côte d’Ivoire-Ghana Cocoa Initiative (CIGCI) and representatives from both countries endorsed the CIG CAAP, recognising it as a transformative strategy to address their shared strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) in the cocoa sector. Despite challenges like price volatility and limited local processing capabilities, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana are leveraging this partnership to promote local value addition, enhance sustainability, and build resilience against global market fluctuations.
Leading experts emphasised collaborative efforts towards a sustainable, value-oriented cocoa industry, working in coordination with AU, AUDA-NEPAD, AfCFTA, FARA, FAO, and other significant partners to develop a Common African Agro-Parks Cocoa Industrial Zone. Technical experts, including Paul Ntim from the Ghana Cocoa Board, Whatami Vamoussa Coulibaly from Côte d’Ivoire’s Le Conseil du Café-Cacao, and Tawiah Agyarko-Kwarteng, CIGCI Technical Manager, emphasised the importance of cooperative efforts in achieving a sustainable and value-driven cocoa sector.
Building on the momentum of earlier discussions, the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), in collaboration with CORAF, CCARDESA, RUFORUM, JRC-ISPRA, AE-TPP, and IFAD, held a follow-up session on the theme “Reflections on Agroecology as a Pathway to Climate Adaptation and Mitigation” during the ongoing Tropical Summit. Held in a hybrid format, the session brought together high-level stakeholders, including FARA Board Chair Ms. Bongiwe Njobe, Prof. Majaliwa Majalolo of RUFORUM, with expert panelists Alex Awiti (CIFOR-ICRAF), Felix Rembold (EC-JRC), Khamis Fathiya (ICiPE), and Irene Kadzere-Forichi (FiBL). The session was moderated by David Amudavi of Biovision Africa Trust.
In his opening remarks, Prof. Majalolo recognized agroecology’s potential in strengthening the resilience of African food systems amid escalating climate challenges. However, he also highlighted resource limitations and the lack of consensus on agroecology’s comparative advantages over conventional agriculture. According to Majalolo, achieving a food system transformation will require a coalition of diverse stakeholders and a focus on educating future agronomists to adopt agroecological principles.
The expert panellists, each with vast experience in agroecology, delved into several critical issues facing agroecological practice in Africa. Key topics included:
Challenges in Agroecological Research and Practice: The panellists discussed the difficulties of balancing the interests of policymakers, researchers, and farmers, adapting research and policies to specific local contexts, and the lack of subsidies or compensation for farmers engaged in agroecological practices that support climate change mitigation.
Technological Advances in Agroecology: Panelists emphasized moving beyond outdated input-driven models and promoting a focus on the socio-ecological aspects of agroecology. They stressed the need to empower farmers to play a central role in transforming agroecosystems and highlighted the multi-functional benefits of agroecology.
Need for Communication and Dissemination: The session underscored the importance of effectively communicating agroecology’s principles and successes to key stakeholders, including policymakers, farmers, and consumers, to foster broader understanding and support for agroecological practices.
Closing the session, Baitsi Podisi of CCARDESA emphasized the importance of engaging all key players in implementing agroecology. He urged greater collective action to address the varied needs of these stakeholders, ensuring a more integrated and effective approach to agroecological transitions.
FARA and its partners expressed gratitude to all participants and panellists for their valuable contributions to the session, which marked another step forward in defining agroecology’s role in climate adaptation and food system resilience across Africa.
Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire – November 7, 2024: The fisheries and aquaculture sector in Côte d’Ivoire is set to benefit from substantial financial backing from the African Development Bank over the period 2025-2029.
The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group approved a loan of €24.63 million to Côte d’Ivoire to boost the development of fisheries and aquaculture value chains. This funding will enable the country, which has been undergoing rapid growth, to increase the sector’s contribution to the blue economy, both nationally and locally.
Courtesy of this new project, fishing activities in coastal towns such as Sassandra will be able to expand significantly. In addition, the project plans to improve fishing methods by supporting public and private fish farms in the west and south of the country.
This initiative aligns strongly with the CAAPs agenda, as it prioritizes sustainable economic growth, infrastructure development, job creation, and enhanced local and national value chains within Africa’s natural resource sectors.
Through these shared goals, the projects support Africa’s ambition to harness its natural resources for sustainable growth, laying the groundwork for a more resilient and prosperous continent.
ABOUT The CAAPs
The Common African Agro-Parks Programme (CAAPs) was initiated in 2019 as one of the concrete initiatives of the Comprehensive African Agricultural Programme (CAADP) to be implemented within the framework of the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063 in order to achieve the CAADP Malabo commitments, particularly the commitment to “triple intra-African trade in agricultural commodities and services.”
In a move to strengthen Africa’s agricultural sector, Afreximbank, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, and the World Food Programme (WFP) have signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support African farmers, agro-processors, and commodity traders with a minimum of $2 billion in financing by 2025.
Benedict Oramah, president/chairman of the Afreximbank board, announced this during the Farm, Food and Allied Technologies (FARMATECH) Expo 2024 in Abuja. According to him, the initiative aligns with AfCFTA’s objectives to bolster intra-regional trade and enhance food security across the continent.
This partnership, aligns with the CAAPs’ goals to promote agricultural productivity, enhance intra-regional trade, and support sustainable economic growth across Africa.
These initiatives aim to strengthen agricultural productivity and value addition, reducing Africa’s dependence on unprocessed commodity exports and enhancing its global competitiveness.
Afreximbank’s commitment to aligning with AfCFTA’s goals for intra-regional trade parallels CAAPs’ goal of creating efficient, interconnected agro-industrial zones that facilitate trade within Africa.
CAAPs prioritize capacity-building within agro-industrial parks, offering farmers and local entrepreneurs the tools, knowledge, and financial support needed to scale up their businesses and generate economic value. This is adequately addressed in the MoU.
ABOUT The CAAPs
The Common African Agro-Parks Programme (CAAPs) was initiated in 2019 as one of the concrete initiatives of the Comprehensive African Agricultural Programme (CAADP) to be implemented within the framework of the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063 in order to achieve the CAADP Malabo commitments, particularly the commitment to “triple intra-African trade in agricultural commodities and services.”
