Agricultural Programme

The Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) is Africa’s policy framework for agricultural transformation, wealth creation, food security and nutrition, economic growth and prosperity for all. In Maputo, Mozambique in 2003, the African Union (AU) Summit made the first declaration on CAADP as an integral part of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).

The principles and values that informed the implementation of CAADP in the first decade (2003 – 2013) are still valid and will continue to guide the implementation modalities in the next decade (2015-2025). These include: African ownership and leadership; accountability and transparency; inclusiveness; evidence-based planning and decision making and harnessing regional complementarities. In addition, the sets of principles and values important to CAADP include: People-centredness; private sector driven development; systemic capacity; and subsidiarity, and: peer learning and multi-sectorialism.

CAADP in the NEPAD Agency

The New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), an African Union strategic framework for pan-African socio economic development, is both a vision and a policy framework for Africa in the twenty first century. NEPAD is a radically new intervention, spearheaded by African leaders, to address critical challenges facing the continent: poverty, development and its marginalisation internationally. NEPAD provides unique opportunities for African countries to take full control of their development agenda, to work more closely together, and to cooperate more effectively with international partners. NEPAD facilitates and coordinates the development of continent-wide programmes and projects, mobilises resources and engages the global community, Regional Economic Communities and member states in the implementation of these programmes and projects.

The NEPAD Agency’s Agriculture, Food Security and Nutrition thematic area and specifically CAADP Implementation Support Programme aims to catalyse transformation of Africa’s agricultural systems and stimulate increased and sustainable agriculture performance in member states for effective contribution to achieving economic growth and inclusive development.

In spite of the 'P' in CAADP, it is not exactly a 'programme' per se. Rather … it is a pan-African framework – a set of principles and broadly defined strategies to help countries critically review their own situations and identify investment opportunities with optimal impact and returns. CAADP is a way to champion reform in the agricultural sector … CAADP provides for an evidence-based planning process with knowledge as a key primary input and human resource development and partnership as a central factor. Ultimately, it aims to align diverse stakeholder interests around the design of integrated programmes adapted at the local level. Although continental in scope, CAADP only comes to life through integrated national and regional efforts to promote agricultural sector growth and economic development.