PARTICIPATION OF THE ECOWAS COMMISSION IN THE EXTRAORDINARY SUMMIT OF THE HEADS OF STATE OF THE AFRICAN UNION ON THE NEW CONTINENTAL TEN-YEAR PLAN 2026-2035 FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF CAADP
17 Jan, 2025Kampala – Uganda, 12th January 2025
A delegation from the ECOWAS Commission led by Mrs Massandjé TOURE-LITSE, Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, took part in the Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State of the African Union in Kampala (Uganda). This summit brought together the Heads of State and Government of the Member States of the African Union, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, the Ministers and experts in charge of agriculture (forestry, fisheries, crops and livestock), rural development, water and the environment, the Regional Economic Communities, young people, women, non-state actors, the media, universities and development partners.
The Extraordinary Summit, which first brought together the Ministers responsible for the agro-pastoral and fisheries sectors on 10 January 2025, followed by a joint meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Agriculture on 11 January 2025, adopted:
(i) the Ten-Year Strategy and Action Plan of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP 2026-2035) and
(ii) the ‘Kampala Declaration’ (following on from the Maputo Declaration of 2003 and the Malabo Declaration of 2014).
The Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) has played a crucial role in transforming agriculture in Africa since its inception in 2003. The programme aims to increase food security and nutrition, reduce rural poverty, create jobs and contribute to economic development while preserving the environment. CAADP targets an annual growth rate of 6% in the agricultural sector, and African Union member states will have to allocate at least 10% of their budgets to agriculture.
In her speech on behalf of the ECOWAS Commission, Mrs Massandjé TOURE-LITSE congratulated the African Union Commission, among others, for having engaged all the Member States of the African Union, the multi-sectoral stakeholders and the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) in an inclusive and participatory assessment and consultation process. The numerous continental, regional and sectoral consultations have enabled the stakeholders to develop and validate this new continental agenda, for the decade 2026-2035, transforming the agricultural sector for the future, which has been presented to us. The areas and themes considered, and the major objectives contained in this new action plan meet the aspirations of the citizens of ECOWAS and our States within the framework of Vision 2050, which itself is based on the AU’s Agenda 2063.
Bearing in mind the need for cohesion and synergy between the regional and continental levels, the ECOWAS Commission endorses the results of the continental consultation as the basis for the revision of the ECOWAS Agricultural Policy (ECOWAP 2025), the second ten-year review of which will begin in 2025.
The Commissioner expressed the commitment of the ECOWAS Commission to implement the new action plan within the framework of ECOWAP and to support Member States in their efforts to translate continental commitments into national policies and strategies.
She called on all partners to unite and synergise their actions to implement this ten-year plan. Finally, she invited Member States and partners to improve collaboration (avoiding duplication, contradictions and overlaps) in implementing this new 2026-2035 action plan, while respecting the principles of subsidiarity, complementarity, solidarity and sovereignty.
