First Biennial Review on the Status of Agriculture at the AU Summit

Unique momentum for agricultural development on the African continent

Mutual accountability is pushing African states to increase investments in agriculture in light of the 2014 Malabo Declaration reaffirming the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP).

The release of the first CAADP Biennial Review Report on the Implementation of the 2014 Malabo Declaration on Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation for Shared Prosperity and Improved Livelihoods has generated a unique momentum for agricultural development on the African continent: By publicly assessing the progress made on national level, the Biennial Review is putting soft pressure on African leaders to fulfil the commitments they made in Malabo. These re-prioritise agriculture as an engine for African development.

“The momentum created by the launch of the Biennial Review should not be allowed to halt »
H.E. Hailemariam Desalegn, Ethiopian Prime Minister and CAADP Champion

The timely launch of the Biennial Review during the just finished 30th African Union Summit marks an important milestone of the 2014 Malabo Declaration, in which African Heads of State and Government reaffirmed their commitment to the African Union’s Agriculture Programme (Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme, CAADP). With CAADP, the signatory states had committed to investing at least 10% of their budget in the agricultural sector in order to achieve no less than 6% annual growth of the agricultural GDP. When CAADP was revisited in Malabo, AU member states agreed to publish Review Reports every two years, starting in January 2018, to document the progress of agricultural development on the continent.

Africa Agricultural Transformation Scorecard

For the first Biennial Review, a total of 43 indicators were tracked along the seven thematic areas of the Malabo Declaration. Selected indicators were then summarised in an innovative tool called the “Africa Agricultural Transformation Scorecard (AATS)” in order to assess each country’s performance. The AATS highlights each country’s five best and worst indicators and provides specific policy recommendations based on the country’s performance. The process is widely celebrated as a great success, as 47 of the 55 AU member states have provided information on their status.

By publicly tracking their progress on the basis of a standardised set of indicators, AU member states are comparable among each other, accountable to their people and motivated to improve their countries’ scores. Hence, H.E. Hailemariam Desalegn, Ethiopian Prime Minister and CAADP Champion, called upon AU member states to sustain the momentum generated by the release of the BR.

Awards for best performance

The historic first Biennial Review was presented to the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government. A strong presence during the presentation indicated the high level of attention the topic receives. Of the 47 countries which provided information, 20 are on track and 27 are lacking behind. Awards were given to the best performing countries Rwanda (1st), Mali (2nd) and Morocco (3rd). In addition, the countries performing best on the indicators related to the theme “Intra-African Trade”, were recognised: Lesotho for volume of trade and Botswana for trade facilitation.

Implementing CAADP on country level has the potential to transform the agricultural sector on the entire African continent. The Biennial Review has generated a window of opportunity whereby AU member states are newly motivated to push the domestication of CAADP. Its significance for country-level processes in the sector should therefore not be underestimated.

GIZ support to the CAADP

The support is part of the GIZ portfolio with the African Union and its technical arm, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD)’s Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA).

Further information

For questions or inquiries

Please contact

  • Dorothe Nett, Programme Manager, CAADP Support Programme, dorothe.nett@giz.de, +27 12 423 5971
  • Tarquin Mészáros, Team Leader “Policy Advice”, CAADP Support Programme,  tarquin.meszaros@giz.de, +27 12 423 5970