A two-day workshop for African journalists with peculiar interest in the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development (CAADP) in Pretoria, South Africa from all over the continent.
Welcoming participants, the CAADP Information and advocacy officer, Ms Mwanja Ng’anjo expressed delight on the commitment of the network members and urged for more commitment in growing the network.
Recalling that at resumption of duty in CAADP office one of the top agenda last February was on how to revitalise the media network, commending those who stood to the values of the network and especially her colleagues at NEPAD for understanding the need, she read the programmes.
Ms Ng’anjo did not forget the immense contribution of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit also known as (GIZ) for their presence and support in developing the CAADP Journalists Network, in addition to other support for various CAADP activities.
Sustaining CAADP Momentum
In his presentation, entitled ‘Sustaining CAADP Momentum’ Mr. Simon Kisira, officer in-charge of Monitoring and Evaluation for CAADP in NEPAD, noted that in order to sustain the CAADP momentum, there are three levels of getting to the expected height namely by contributing to Africa’s socio-economic development through wealth creation, prosperity, improved food and nutrition security, and resilience.
The second level, he said, would be sustained increase in agricultural performance through production, that is, productivity, entrepreneurship, value addition, job and wealth creation, markets and trade cutting across competitiveness and increase share in global trade.
On the third level, Kisira pointed out that transformational change is need to create conducive environment, strengthened and aligned systemic capacity.
Mr. Kisira also noted that the CAADP Vision is just as valid today as it was in 2003 when the Maputo declaration was reached, moreso, looking at the growing demand for more results and impact; to ensure continued interest and commitment to CAADP, as well as realize accelerated and expanded implementation, demonstrating results and impact is of importance.
On CAADP at10, he said, that past decade of CAADP implementation has seen a focus on “planning processes” including capacity to formulate quality plans and programmes. This is in addition to clearly now to be more inclusive and evidence-based plans and programmes, comprehensive and better aligned to national priorities, which if properly aligned could suffice for “food on the table, money in people’s pockets.”
On what is the focus for the next decade, Kisira pointed out that CAADP is strategically positioned to up-hold and build on success and lessons of the last 10 years. Stressing that catalysing and guided design of programmes within the National Agriculture Investment Plans (NAIPs) is expected to attract increased investment financing to the continent and agriculture precisely.
According to him, harnessing the private sector “power” in driving agricultural transformation and agriculture-led development cannot be over-emphasised. Pointing out that capacity, flexibility and strategies to respond to emerging issues such as climate change, population dynamics and migration as well as nutrition, have to be considered at all the policy levels.
Additionally through the provision of principle tools and guidelines for planning new programmes, promoting accountability and assessing progress, Africa is positioned for ‘wealth creation’ as primary driver for agriculture development through jobs and incomes.
However, he said that a regional and inter-regional trade agenda are essential for sustaining success, therefore, there is a compelling need and urgency to demonstrate results and impact, insisting that Africa has the potential.
“The continent has what it takes to feed all her people, and to have surplus that can sold to boost household incomes,” he declared, maintaining that Africa is still food insecure and continent largely experiencing low agriculture productivity and low rural household incomes.
The share of malnourished children, he said, is expected to decrease from 33 per cent in 1997 to 28 per cent in 2025, although absolute to increase from 33m to 38m according to the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
Although Kisira said several efforts have been made to boost agriculture development on the continent, but only limited results produced so far, noting that the advent of CAADP in 2003, saw to a renewed commitment by African leaders placing agriculture as a key driver for economic growth and food security.
He described CAADP as part of the bigger African vision that its implementation deserves greater political commitment to increase in budgetary allocations to agriculture.
CAADP, he said, mobilised Africans and other global stakeholders around a common agenda of promoting regional integration and coordination through increased resource mobilisation for the agriculture sector, such as Grow Africa, New Alliance and domestic private sector.
Excelling with online techniques:
Mrs Brenda Zulu, CAADP Journalist Network Coordinator, in her presentation shared knowledge on what she described as some innovative techniques and latest developments in Journalism for news gathered, especially online.
She focused mainly on the roles of journalists and online tools and used the opportunity to introduce various online platforms including social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, scoop it and RSS feeds, storify, Flickr to name a few, stressing that these tools add value to journalists who use them appropriate to gather, exchange and source critical information.
She emphasised that in order to increase the volume and quality of positive news on the role and impact of CAADP, journalists need to raise the profile of agriculture in Africa by telling the African story of development in agriculture, rather than limiting stories to droughts and negative aspects.
Noting that some negatives aspect of stories could be recognized but these should not be the thrust of African stories, because most people especially investors tend to see drawn to negative stories than positive or development stories.
Predicted faster food security for Africa by 2025:
In his paper, a professor of Agricultural Economics, Mandivamba Rukuni predicted that Africa’s agriculture is poised to grow faster and by 2025 Africa will be food secured, NaijaAgroNet reports.
This is coming as he charged African media practitioners to see something good on the continent and report same always.
Prof. Rukuni who advises African Union (AU) on Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) and Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) among others made these assertions at a two-day training workshop of CAADP Journalists Network in Pretoria, South Africa.
According to him, there are avalanche of development messages African journalists should showcase to the world, including that Africa’s agriculture is now grows faster and by 2025 Africa will reach food secure, stressing that Africa’s economies are rising sustainably, though many Africans are still poor and hungry.
He also told NaijaAgroNet that African agriculture is growing slowly now after decades of stagnation and food security is improving, stressing that sustained improvements in governance and political stability will usher in these predictions.
Prof. Rukuni equally predicted that the industrialised world will have no capacity to feed 8 billion people by 2040 and Africa will have to be the food-basket of the world by next 27 years, insisting these are some of the stories; Africans are waiting to hear so as to build their confidence and belief.
“Africans need to re-write their own narratives, create their own future and fulfill own destiny. African journalists, therefore, have the unique role in shaping that narrative, so as to aid the main responsibility in re-branding Africa,” he said.
The Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Prof. Rukuni said, is a major part of the narrative on ‘African solution to an African problem’ although Africa has a lot of homework to do.
Pointing out that between year 2000 and 2012 were proverbial unprecedented decade for the continent for Africa which now has impressive economic growth across the 54 countries accompanied with improved governance, human development indicators.
Despite the aforementioned good signs, Prof. Rukuni decried that Africa still faces major challenges of poverty, food insecurity; cconcerned that Africa is unlikely to meet most of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), especially MDG 1 on eradicating extreme poverty and hunger by 2015.
“There are avalanche of development messages African journalists should showcase to the world, including that Africa’s agriculture is now grows faster and by 2025 Africa will reach food secure, stressing that Africa’s economies are rising sustainably, though many Africans are still poor and hungry.”
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