The
AFRICAN UNION

UNION AFRICAINE

UNIÃO AFRICANA

CONCEPT NOTE
2ND PERMANENT SECRETARIES RETREAT ON OPERATIONALIZING CAADP/3AGT MONITORING AND MUTUAL ACCOUNTABILITY FRAMEWORK

Accra, Ghana
10-11 March 2016

Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture

Rationale /Motivation
Permanent (Principal) Secretaries are, in Government, the custodian of Government Policy and the policy practice as well as being the overall accounting officer in the Ministries. It is the offices of the PSs which take responsibility, ultimately, to drive policy change and institutional reforms
It is in this context that CAADP implementation has recognised the PSs’ as the officers responsible to coordinating and facilitate CAADP implementation – because institutional reforms, policy change and upholding systems for transformation, aspects key to delivering on CAADP resides in the PS
Malabo Declaration’s emphasis on implementation and delivering results and impact, highlights policy practice and institutional reforms as critical areas for action to unblock or accelerate (effective) implementation. Malabo, hence, implies a more pronounced, pro-active and direct involvement of primarily the Ministry of Agriculture Permanent Secretaries and through them also linking to Permanent Secretaries in other Ministries including Economic Planning and Finance
It is against this background that the AUC and NPCA convened the 1st PS Retreat on CAADP in June 2015 in Nairobi, Kenya. The 2nd PS Retreat is scheduled for the 2-3 March 2016, in Accra, Ghana.
Therefore the meeting design will facilitate deepened learning and appreciation of critical issues that will propel implementation (process as well as priority thematic issues) and thus create an enabling policy and institutional environment. The Retreat will be interactive- with short input presentations and information sharing interspaced by peer exchange to surface key issues, best practise and possibilities, thus ensuring collective leadership and ownership in an open and semi-informal environment.
Background
The inaugural Permanent Secretaries Of Ministries of Agriculture (and related sectors) Retreat held 29-30 June 2015 in Nairobi, Kenya and was organised by the African Union Commission and the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency. The Retreat ushered in the roll out of the 2014 Malabo Declaration on Accelerated African Agriculture Growth and Transformation (3AGTs) set of goals and targets for African Agriculture and CAADP agenda for the next decade. The Malabo Implementation Strategy and Roadmap (IS&R) and the Programme of Work (PoW) were presented as the operational working documents and instruments for planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting on the progress attained toward achieving the set targets of the Declaration. Information was provided with regards to the associated implementation support processes such as the appraisal of National Agriculture investment Plans (NAIP Appraisal); the Biennial Review Cycle and architecture; financing and communication strategies, as the key work streams informing the internalisation of Malabo Declaration within country CAADP implementation process.
Outcomes of the Retreat identified key implementation aspects crucial to galvanise national level actions towards operationalisation of the Malabo Declaration’s commitments and the CAADP Results Framework. Importantly, the Retreat reaffirmed the leadership role of Permanent Secretary/Director General to catalyse, facilitate and build necessary capacity to achieve the aspirational targets and systemic change to achieve Malabo Declaration Commitments.
In this regard, the Retreat set the scene for continued interaction and engagement amongst Permanent Secretaries to provide a platform for peer exchange, review, learning and consensus building on strategies to move the CAADP Agenda forward. As follow up, a second Retreat is proposed to guide next step towards implementation and support to concretely deliver on desired results and impacts.
The recommendations of the PS Retreat fed into discussions of the Inaugural Session of the Specialised Technical Committee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment held in early October 2015 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Purpose and Scope of the PS Retreat Objectives
Though convened by the AUC and NPCA, the PS retreat is a PS owned forum meant to provide a PS community space to share, dialogue – peer learning, problem-solving and creating new knowledge and understanding. It is expected that such interactions will build individual and collective resolve and determination for the desired leadership in the countries to champion CAADP and agricultural transformation
The overall goal of the Retreat is to provide orientation, seek endorsement and agree concrete actions to effectively roll out the Malabo Declaration into concrete actions at national level, in readiness for the first CAADP Biennial Review Cycle due for the January 2018 African Union Heads of State and Government Summit.
Specifically the 2nd Retreat will address the following objectives:
a) Allow the PSs to reflect on thematic factors and systems change issues key to delivering on the Malabo commitments. Thematic issues include (i) El nino and implications on agricultural transformation and food security; (ii) the industrialisation drive and implications for agriculture and (iii) agriculture and national trade policies including implications of the recent (December 2015, Nairobi conference) WTO Agreement and (iv) land tenure systems and trends and implications for the Malabo commitments;

b) Validate the revised CAADP Guidelines, especially with regard to fit-for-purpose and implementability/realism. Special focus will be given to the Monitoring including institutional and policy capacity for data collection and reporting in relation to the AU Biennial Review Cycle;

c) Solicit country perspectives on (i) the formulation of the CAADP-Malabo Financing Architecture; (ii) the technical Networks arrangement to mobilise and make accessible expert support arrangements; and (iii) the revised CAADP Partnership architecture
Expected Outcomes
1. Elicitation of decisive commitments and programmatic actions to drive implementation toward the desired results and impact.
2. Endorsement of the adapted CAADP country Implementation- Implementer’s guide and commitment along implementation actions to effectively drive programmes aligned with the Malabo 3ATG commitments; and
Retreat Programme Overview

Working
Session Day 1 Day 2
Registration
Opening, Welcome
Morning

Open Learning Dialogue: Emerging Thematic priorities driving African Agricultural transformation Making it Happen at Country Level
- Country CAADP Implementation- Embracing Malabo
(NAIP Appraisal and Biennial Review Architecture)

Implementation Arrangements
(Malabo Financing arrangements; CAADP Partnership Architecture)
Afternoon Open Learning Dialogue: PS Leadership Challenge- Championing the Change
Way forward,

Closing
Networking Networking Cocktail
Dinner (Self organising)

Participation
Co-organised by AUC in collaboration with NPCA, the Retreat is planned to bring together Permanent Secretaries of Ministries of Agriculture (or alternative ministries in countries where Ministries of Agriculture are not present) and CAADP Team Leaders (or Focal Persons) from AU Member States.
Location and Dates
Accra, Ghana, from 10-11 March 2016.
Reference and Information Documents
• Report of the 1st PS Retreat
• Communiqué of the 1st PS Retreat
• Programme of the Retreat
• Indicator framework

Contact and Information
AUC NPCA
Technical Lead Mr Komla Bissi
BissiK@africa-union.org
Mr Augustin Wambo Yamdjeu
augustinw@nepad.org

Logistics Ms Eva Chanya ChanyaE@africa-union.org