Statement by H.E. Tumusiime Rhoda Peace, Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture on the occasion of the Annual Conference of the Regional Strategic Analysis and Knowledge Support System (2014 ReSAKSS Conference)

on the Theme: PROMOTING AGRICULTURAL TRADE TO ENHANCE RESILIENCE

October 8, 2014

African Union Headquarters, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Excellency Professor Tekaligne Mamo, State Minister of Agriculture of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
Excellency Mr. Lapodini Marc Atouga, Commissioner for Agriculture, Environment and Water Resources, Economic Community of West African States Commission
Dr. Ousmane Badiane, Director for Africa, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
Distinguished Delegates from AU Member States, Regional Economic Communities,
Distinguished Representatives of the Private Sector, Civic Society Organisations, and International Organisations

Dear Participants, Ladies and Gentlemen

On behalf of the African Union Commission, I wish to welcome you to this 2014 Regional Strategic Analysis and Knowledge Support System (ReSAKSS) Conference, that will deliberate on the “Promotion of Agricultural Trade to enhance Resilience” on the African Continent. This ReSAKSS Conference is being held in the context of the 2014 AU Year of Agriculture and Food Security, and at a time when the aspirations of the next fifty years are being articulated within the framework of Africa Agenda 2063.
Let me first express my appreciation for the technical support that ReSAKSS has been providing to Africa and specifically to the African Union Commission and the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency in advancing the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) which is also marking its 10th Anniversary this year: This technical support has been focused on key areas notably:
• supporting the overall efforts of promoting evidence and outcome-based policy planning and implementation as part of the CAADP agenda.
• Producing the Annual Trends Outlook Report which is the main M&E report tracking CAADP implementation on the continent.
• strengthening analytical capacity for planning, monitoring and evaluation and policy analysis at country level by establishing country Strategic Analysis and Knowledge Support Systems (SAKSS) platforms in AU Member States.
• strengthening mutual accountability systems in implementing CAADP National Agriculture and Food Security Investment Plans (NAFSIPs) through joint sector review (JSRs), as well as contributing to the development of the CAADP Results Framework 2015-2025.

Honourable Minster, Distinguished Participants, Ladies and Gentlemen

It is to be recalled that, following the formal launch of 2014 Year of Agriculture and Food Security in January 2014 during the AU Summit, the African Union Commission and NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency, working with Regional Economic Communities and Member States, launched a process and roadmap on articulating the agenda of advancing agricultural growth and transformation for the next decade . This process entailed extensive multi-stakeholder consultations with civil society, private sector, women, youth and development partners, among others, which has helped in crafting broader goals and targets on the agenda. The outcomes were further deliberated by the Joint Conference of Ministers of Agriculture, Rural Development, Livestock, Fisheries and Aquaculture, which culminated into Ministerial resolutions on transformation of Africa’s agriculture for shared prosperity and improved livelihoods. .
The height of this process was reached during the 23rd Ordinary Session of the African Union Heads of State and Government on 27 June 2014 in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, where the Malabo Declaration on Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation for shared Prosperity and Improved Livelihoods was adopted. The Commitments of African leaders through this Declaration include, among others, Boosting intra-African Trade in Agricultural Commodities and services and Enhancing resilience of livelihoods, and production systems to climate variability and other related risks, which contextualise the theme of this years Annual ReSAKSS Conference: Promoting Agricultural Trade to Enhance Resilience.

The prusuit and achievement of these goals will also be in line with the Theme of the just concluded 50th Anniversary of the OAU/AU, which is Pan Africanism and African Renaissance. It is also part of the Africa Agenda 2063 on the Africa We Want.

Honourable Ministers, Distinguished Participants, Ladies and Gentlemen

During this AU Year of Agriculture and Food Security, ReSAKSS has been and continues to be a key player particularly in contributing to finalize the CAADP Results Framework that will measure the progress in implementing the Malabo Declaration for the next decade.
The 2013 Annual Trends and Outlook Report (ATOR 2013), that will be launched today, is about promoting agricultural trade to enhance resilience. The African Union Commission has partnered with IFPRI to organize this conference in Addis Ababa, just four months after the Malabo Declaration in June this year. This shows the Commitment from IFPRI and ReSAKSS to not only generate but also share high-quality knowledge products to guide policy formulation, implementation, review and dialogue – the core reason why ReSAKSS was established in 2006.
As mentioned earlier, the African Union Commission is committed to promoting agricultural trade and specifically regional trade in order to enhance food security and growth. Therefore, this report comes at a time when we are engaged in developing the Implementation Strategy and Roadmap for the Implementation of the Malabo Declaration. The recommendations from this Conference will be valauble input into the discussions moving forward.
African leaders did further commit themselves to advance Mutual Accountability to Actions and Results and, therefore, the role of Monitoring and Reporting on the 2014 Malabo Commitments is more important today than ever before. The work of ReSAKSS will continue to be more relevant and instrumental in tracking progress of CAADP implementation in the years to come, guided by the CAADP Results Framework, and specifically the targets contained in the Malabo Declaration.
Honoruable Minister, Distinguished Participants, Ladies and Gentlemen

In closing , we must all take note that all African citizens have a duty to contribute towards determining our common future, and with governments leading the way by creating conditions for agriculture to thrive and flourish. It is imperative that we put agriculture at the top of our national development agendas by stepping up, and spending up, to ensure a rapid, steady path to the development for our people in line with the vision of the African Union for an integrated and prosperous continent that is a dynamic force on the global arena.
We must all be accountable for commitments we make. We must all believe and embrace the fact that it’s in our hands.
I wish you fruitful deliberations and
I thank You.