PRESS RELEASE Release Date: 30th July 2013 SUDAN SIGNS THE NATIONAL CAADP COMPACT The Republic of Sudan has become the 12th member state in the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) region to sign the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Compact. The Sudan National CAADP Compact was signed during a high level meeting held on the 30th July 2013, in the capital city Khartoum bringing the total to 32 African countries to have signed this commitment document. Speaking on the occasion of the signature ceremony, Sudan Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation Dr. Gaafar Ahmed Abd Alla said his government has adopted agriculture as the key driver for economic growth within the framework of the CAADP. “The CAADP instrument is important when Sudan is taking many steps when (during a period when) the contribution of oil in the national economy has declined following the cessation of South Sudan and the global economic crisis,” he said. Minister Abd Alla said Sudan would provide political and economic support through sound agricultural policies to address challenges of food security and nutrition adding that his country is endowed with enough land and ground water to play a key role in addressing the food crisis in Africa and globally. He thanked the African Union (AU), COMESA and NEPAD for assisting Sudan to sign the finalized document and assured the meeting of Sudan’s commitment towards further implementation of the CAADP agenda and mobilization of stakeholders to support the process. COMESA Secretary General Sindiso Ngwenya congratulated Sudan for signing the CAADP compact and commended the Sudanese government for placing agriculture at the centre of economic growth in the region. “..Our African leaders have recognized that growth in agriculture is the most effective strategy for achieving the African renaissance. This is due to the impact that agricultural growth has on reducing poverty, enhancing food and nutrition security while also creating jobs and promoting overall economic growth”. Mr. Ngwenya said. Mr. Ngwenya said it was ironical that despite Africa’s abundant natural and human resources, the continent is still food insecure while the COMESA region continues to spend more than 20 billion United States Dollars to import food from outside the region. He said the signing of the Sudan National CAADP Compact compliments the nation’s enactment of the Investment Encouragement Act of 2012 which aims to promote public private partnership. Mr. Ngwenya said COMESA is keen to support Sudan and stakeholders in the next phase of the CAADP process after signing the compact which involves designing of a detailed National Agriculture Investment Plan (NAIP). And the African Union (AU) Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, Tumusiime Rhoda Peace said the AU was grateful to COMESA for providing technical support and backstopping to the process which resulted in the landmark occasion of the signing of the Sudan CAADP compact. Commissioner Tumusiime said the AU recognizes Sudan as one of the leading pillars of the African dream of taking CAADP to another level and meeting the vision of Africa becoming a food sufficient and exporter of agricultural commodities to the rest of the world. “I’m aware that the Sudan has Africa’s largest irrigation agriculture scheme (the Gezeera) and features among Africa’s leading countries in agro-industry processing. The country is one of the largest in terms of agriculture and animal production labour force”. She said. The Sudan National CAADP Compact was signed by Government ministers of Agriculture and Irrigation, and Finance and National Economy, COMESA Secretary General, the African Union, NEPAD Planning and Coordination Agency (NPCA) and representatives from the Farmer’s Union, private sector, civil society and development partners. Other COMESA member states that have signed their National CAADP Compacts include Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Seychelles, Swaziland, Uganda and Zambia. Rwanda was the first country to sign the CAADP Compact (2007) in the COMESA region. She is one of the four countries with Burundi, Ethiopia and Malawi to access the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme (GAFSP) funding. Meanwhile, Zimbabwe, Comoros and Madagascar are some of the COMESA member states that are advancing towards the Compact signatures. Media Contact: Mr. Cephas Moonga COMESA CAADP Communications Officer, COMESA Secretariat, Ben Bella Road, P.O. Box 30051, LUSAKA. Email: [email protected] About CAADP CAADP is an African–led initiative representing African leaders’ collective vision for agriculture. CAADP focuses on transforming Africa through agricultural –led development. Endorsed by the African Union Assembly of Heads of State in Maputo, African leaders resolved through the Maputo Declaration of 2003 to allocate a minimum of 10% of the national annual budget to the agricultural sector in order to attain agricultural-led growth of at least 6% per annum. CAADP Compacts contain selected key priority areas for investment in the agriculture sector. These have been collaboratively and carefully selected by stakeholders to address national priorities. They are also meant to define actions, commitments, partnerships and alliances and guide country policy and investment responses including planning for development assistance. Further CAADP Compacts provide a framework for public-private partnerships and business to business alliances to raise and sustain necessary investments.
Posted on: Tue, 30 Jul 2013 10:12:06 +0000
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