© AKADEMIYA2063 2026
By Layih Butake, and Ousmane Badiane
02/18/2026Over the past two decades, the agricultural sector has emerged as a key driver of Africa’s economic growth under the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), the African Union’s policy framework for continental agricultural transformation.
CAADP has evolved from a bold political commitment into a continent-wide architecture for action. From its launch under the Maputo Declaration (2003) and reinforcement through the Malabo Declaration (2014), each phase has generated crucial lessons that continue to strengthen Africa’s agricultural agenda. Meanwhile, policy innovations and programmatic interventions across the continent have yielded practical insights for advancing Africa’s agrifood system ambitions. These experiences now underpin the third iteration of the CAADP framework—the Kampala Declaration on Building Resilient and Sustainable Agrifood Systems (2025). Together, they provide a robust evidence base to guide future action and scale successful interventions.
As countries prepare for phase three of CAADP, a central question emerges: what has driven Africa’s progress in transforming its agrifood systems, and what do these lessons mean for the Kampala Agenda?
The Kampala Declaration, effective January 1, 2026, signals a decisive shift. Building on earlier CAADP commitments, it places delivery, execution, and accountability at the center of Africa’s agrifood systems agenda.
A new report by the Malabo Montpellier Panel, drawing on 70 country-level case studies from the past decade, pinpoints policy, institutional, and investment choices that have produced measurable results. The Panel translates these insights into actionable recommendations and highlights proven interventions for each of the six Kampala commitments, providing a clear roadmap for achieving the Declaration’s ambitious goals by 2035.
Intensifying Sustainable Food Production, Agro-industrialization, and Trade. Tripling intra-African trade, raising output by 45 percent, and halving post-harvest losses will require sustained investment in technology, diversification, and competitive value chains. In Ethiopia and Rwanda, investment packages in small-scale irrigation, improved seed systems, and advisory services have helped double yields in targeted production zones. Meanwhile, trade-enhancing reforms in Kenya, South Africa, and Uganda, such as streamlined border procedures, harmonized trading standards, and modern transport corridors, have boosted competitiveness and strengthened cross-border food availability.
Boosting Investment and Financing for Agrifood Systems Transformation. The Declaration aims to mobilize US$100 billion in public and private investment by 2035, allocate 10 percent of national budgets to agriculture, and reinvest 15 percent of agrifood GDP each year. Achieving these targets will require governments to adopt effective strategies that prioritize innovation and targeted support, while integrating agrifood investments into medium-term fiscal frameworks and national development plans to ensure lasting impact. Countries such as Morocco, Seychelles, and Zambia have leveraged revolving funds, blended finance instruments, and results-based subsidies to expand access to capital for women, youth, and small producers, thereby unlocking untapped potential in their agricultural sectors.
Ensuring Food and Nutrition Security. Zero Hunger and a 30 percent reduction in child stunting, wasting, and overweight are also central targets of the Declaration, with countries like Malawi, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ghana offering lessons on how to achieve them. By integrating production policies with nutrition-sensitive interventions, these countries have stabilized demand for nutritious foods and strengthened local markets. Effective measures include linking schools with local farmers, investing in biofortification, and establishing nutrition-focused social safety nets. Crucially, success has hinged on coordinated action across agriculture, health, and education ministries, breaking down traditional silos.
Advancing Inclusivity and Equitable Livelihoods. Reducing extreme poverty and narrowing the gender yield gap by half across Africa will depend on reforms that prioritize equitable access. Evidence from Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, and Zimbabwe indicates that empowering women and youth through greater direct participation and ownership in agrifood systems yields tangible gains in productivity and income. In Rwanda and Zimbabwe, youth-focused agribusiness programs and digital innovation hubs have enabled young people to transition from informal, low-productivity work to higher-value roles along agrifood value chains.
Building Resilient Agrifood Systems. Achieving the ambition of protecting at least 40 percent of households from climate shocks will require a shift from reactive to anticipatory governance. Successful initiatives in Niger, Mali, Zambia, and Morocco show that investing in early warning systems, drought-tolerant crops, solar irrigation, and climate-informed advisory services reduces vulnerability and stabilizes production. Furthermore, investments in land restoration, sustainable water management, and circular economy approaches, as observed in Ghana and Uganda, demonstrate that climate resilience and productivity can be mutually reinforcing.
Strengthening Agrifood Systems Governance. Governance stands out as the unifying factor across all areas of progress. Countries that prioritize inter-ministerial coordination, data-driven planning, and transparent regulation consistently achieve faster and more sustainable results. In Rwanda and Senegal, regular performance reviews, clear institutional mandates, and digital monitoring tools have strengthened accountability and boosted investor confidence. Strong governance has also improved alignment between national priorities and regional commitments, especially under CAADP and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The Kampala Declaration provides Africa with a credible roadmap to resilient, inclusive, and sustainable agrifood systems by 2035. The strong performance of Africa’s agrifood systems over the past two decades offers well-documented solutions and success stories across the continent.
What matters now is execution. As countries embark on implementation, it will be crucial to consistently adapt these lessons to national realities and apply them at scale. If countries rise to this challenge, the Kampala era can serve as a catalyst to continue and accelerate the progress achieved over the past two decades under CAADP.
First published on Farming First.