SPEECH BY HER EXCELLENCY TUMUSIIME RHODA PEACE, COMMISSIONER FOR RURAL ECONOMY AND AGRICULTURE, AFRICAN UNION COMMISSION DURING THE HIGH-LEVEL MEETING ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE LIVESTOCK DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY FOR AFRICA (LiDeSA)

14TH NOVEMBER 2014, AT THE INTER-AFRICAN BUREAU FOR ANIMAL RESOUYRCES(AU-IBAR), NAIROBI, KENYA

• Thank you Master of Ceremonies, Dr Henry Wamwayi, Policy Officer for Trade and Marketing
• The Honourable Felix Koskei, Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of the Republic of Kenya;
• Let me recognise in a special way Your Excellency, Hon. KobenanKoussi ADJOUMANI, Minister of Animal Resources and Fisheries of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire, and Chairperson of the Bureau of the 9th Conference of African Ministers responsible for Animal Resources;
• Honourable Members of the Bureau of the 9th Conference of Ministers;
• Honourable Ministers responsible for Livestock from AU Member States;
• Permanent Secretaries responsible for Livestock in AU Member States who are here;
• Representatives of the Regional Economic Communities;
• Dr.Abebe Haile Gabriel, Director for Rural Economy and Agriculture,African Unin Commission
• Headsof AU Specialised Technical Offices;
• Dr. Baba Soumare, Representative o fthe Director of the Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), as Prof Ahmed El-Sawalhy is indisposed;
• Members of Staff of theAfrican Union Commission;
• Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen;
I welcome you and bring you warm greetings and best wishes from, H.E Dr. NkosazanaDlaminiZuma, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission.
It is, indeed, a pleasure to welcome you to this High-level Meeting to consider the work done so far on the Livestock Development Strategy for Africa (LiDeSA) and provide guidance.

The formulation of the Livestock Development Strategy for Africa conforms tothedecision of the AU Executive Council during its 24th Ordinary Session (EX.CL/Dec.792(XXIV). This decision was premised on the recommendation by yourselves at the 9th Conference of Ministers responsible for Animal Resources in Africa which as you would recall was held in Abidjan Cote d’Ivoire in April 2013.

Honorable Ministers, Ladies and Gentlemen;
I am pleased to report that the African Union Commission’s Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture, through the Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources has effectively coordinated efforts and also provided leadership in the development of the Livestock Development Strategy in Africa .Before the African Union Commission reports back to the AU Policy Organs, we would like to submit the draft strategy for your consideration as this is your sector. As you are aware, the development of this Strategy is taking place at a time when the continent is developing the strategy and roadmap for the transformation of the agricultural sectorfor accelerated growth, shared prosperity and improved livelihoods.
You would recall that the Heads of State and Government of the African Union during their 23rd Ordinary Session in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea which took place from 26thto 27th June 2014 on the Theme of the AU Year of Agriculture and Food Security: “Transforming Africa’s Agriculture for Shared Prosperity and Improved Livelihoods through Harnessing Opportunities for Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development, also marking the 10th Anniversary of the CAADP” adopted the declaration on Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation for Shared Prosperity and Improved Livelihoods,which we refer to as the Malabo Declaration (Doc.Assembly/AU/2/XXIII)
I would like to request that the Malabo Declaration be printed and circulatedto Honourable Ministers.

The Declaration contains Africa’s commitment up to the highest level :
1. to uphold the Principles and Values of the CAADP Process; budgetary allocations of at least 10% and sectoral growth of 6%
2. to enhance Investment Finance in Agriculture; attracting resources from both the private and public sectors;
3. to end Hunger in Africa by 2025; calling for country-level interventions;
4. to halve Poverty by the year 2025, through InclusiveGrowth and Transformation; to ensure that poverty levels if not eradicated are reduced by half from where we are;
5. to boost Intra-African Trade in Agricultural commoditiesand services; considering that the continent trades more with the rest of the world than within itself, our leaders placed emphasis on accelerating integration and boosting intra-Afican trade;
6. to enhance Resilience of Livelihoods and ProductionSystems to Climate Variability and other related risks affecting water, pasture and settlements;
7. to apply Mutual Accountability to Actions and Results; we have to take stock of where we are; know who is doing what; identify what has been put in place; what resources have been invested and actions undertaken so that after two years we report to Heads of State and Government as to where their respective countries are towards meeting the commitments they undertook.

In furtherance of the above targets, the AU Assembly also called for the strengthening of the African Union Commission to support delivery on thesecommitments; and also requested you, us, other Pan African Institutions and development partners todevelop an implementation strategy and roadmap to facilitate thetranslation of the 2025 vision and goals of Africa’s Accelerated AgriculturalGrowth and Transformation into concrete results and impacts.

Honorable Ministers, Ladies and Gentlemen;

Given Africa’s potential and its increasing needs and those of the global community as well as the associated opportunities, our political leadership has taken bold steps to strengthen the development of Agriculture as a vehicle for sustainable development and prosperity in Africa. What remains is the action of translating the decisions of the Heads of State and Government into visible results, outcomes and impacts for the benefit of the citizens of Africa.

Some countries have already embarked on translating these commitments into action as some countrie shave moved to CAADP Phase II.

The Livestock Development Strategy in Africa (LIDESA) falls perfectly within the context of the Strategy for Accelerated African Agricultural Growth and Transformation. Indeed, livestock is a major component of Africa’s agricultural sector.It also plays a significant role in the social and economic spheres of life of most African households, communities and nations. As a matter of fact, over half (53%) of all African households keep livestock and up to 72% of the rural poor depend on the sector to some extent. Additionally, livestock alone accounts for over half of the agricultural capital stock in Africa and on average accounts for 30-35% of the agricultural GDP; with some countries recording up to 80% contribution. Therefore, the realization of Agriculture-led growth will need to harness the potential and opportunities provided by the continent’s vast livestock resources base.

Honourable Ministers, Ladies and Gentlemen

It is clear that Africa’s livestock diversity is growing even further.However, several analyses of trends in the demand and supply of livestock products in Africa indicate that by 2030 to 2050 the demand will increase two to eight fold, due to various factors, particularly the increase in the human population in urban areas and increased incomes. The alternative for meeting the increased demand would be to import the huge deficits that would result. Consequently, this would increase livestock import bills for the countries, increase prices of livestock products, pose a potential food insecurity, food safety and nutritional crisis, affect the growth of local industries, deny millions of youth employment opportunities, reduce income for the local people and lead to loss of revenues from levies and taxes.

Africa imports an equivalent of US$40 billion annually in food items. Meat importation is high and yet Africa has a high potential for producing meat.

To meet the projected increase in demand for livestock products, the sector will need to grow by 5-6% annually from the current rate of about 2.4%. However, the sector faces a variety of challengeses that hinder it from meeting the rising demand for livestock and livestock products and to significantly contribute to economic growth. Past investments, both from the private and public sectors, in the development of the sector have been largely project-based and disjointed and with little regard to long-term institutional development for sustainability. Moreover, private sector investments in the livestock sector, which should drive accelerated and equitable growth, stimulate growth in other sectors and galvanize widespread socio-economic transformation, have been subdued by the lack of supportive policy environment, the lack of appropriate infrastructure and the non- availability of reliable supplies of essential services and inputs, thereby making the sector uncompetitive and unattractive to investors. With appropriate investment, the Livestock Sector stands to not only contribute significantly to stimulating and realizing accelerated economic growth but to be a key driver for stimulating growth in other sectors, and for attaining development goals of food and nutrition security, eliminating hunger, improving livelihoods and engendering resilience.

The sector is also facing increasing competition for land and water resources from other sectors, so is the need for human settlement and challenges from variability in climatic and weather patterns.

The majority of livestock keepers in Africa only keep small numbers of animals for livelihood (food, insurance, manure, draft power) rather than business purposes. The focus on subsistence and disconnect of small scale livestock producers from markets contributes to theunderperformance of the sector.

Thus, though high potential exists to make livestock count in Africa’s social and economic development, the means to harness it have not been comensurate thus far.

I am convinced that there is still scope to improve production, productivity and further diversify the continent’s livestock biodiversity to meet the full scale of needs, food preferences, food and nutritional security of our people. This requires a clear strategy that ensures coherence of objectives at the national, regional and continental levels and the implementation of synergistic actions to achieve the objectives.

Therefore, the decision of the AU Executive Council for the AUCto coordinate theformulationof a 20 year continent-wide strategy to reform and accelerate the livestock sector’s development could not have come at a better time. And, we are encouraged by the cooperation and support received from AU Member States, that is, yourselves, and RECs in taking forward this important task.

Indeed, the need for the transformation of the livestock sector is overwhelming and it is my expectation that LiDeSAwill provide a practical road map for the transformation of the Livestock Sector in Africa.

I believe the Livestock Strategy gives us an opportunity to make livestock count in the Africa Agriculture Transformation Agenda and, as I indicated earlier, this high-level meeting has been called to table the draft LiDeSA strategy for discussion and guidance.
Your contributions will augment the work done so far and give our technical teams an indication of what more needs to be done.
We count on your support to take this process to the next level and ensure completeness of the product to be presented for consideration and adoption by the AU Policy Organs in January 2015.
I thank you and wish you fruitful deliberations.