In attendance were also representatives from the Producers’ Federation of East Africa, representatives from IGAD NGO/CSO forum, representatives from the African Union Commission, and representatives from FAO-Djibouti.
• The Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) is a continental agricultural development framework adopted by African Heads of State and Government in Maputo, in 2003. Since then it has become the central focus for the efforts of African governments, the African Union (AU) and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) – through its Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA) to accelerate agriculture-led economic growth and poverty reduction. The main goal of CAADP is to assist African countries achieve the Millennium Development Goal 1 (MDG-1) of halving the number of the hungry and poor by 2015.
• With the financial and technical support of FAO, the IGAD Secretariat has launched the process of preparing the documents of CAADP / IGAD in January 2012 during a workshop organized by IGAD in Djibouti grouping together key partners and stakeholders. To lead the process of preparing the CAADP, national consultants, regional and international consultants were hired. At the country level, national consultants prepared the country report focusing on the identification of priority areas for the regional CAADP / IGAD. Regional consultants have developed and compiled 4 thematic papers as references pillars of CAADP. The Regional Plan of IGAD is a detailed reference of the CAADP Compact of IGAD.
• The regional priorities identified by the member states of IGAD are based on – and are identified priorities in accordance with the strategies and frameworks for agricultural development in the IGAD countries and the CAADP Compact priorities and Investment Plans that are already available in four member states of IGAD. The priorities areas identified were grouped into four components, namely: (i) Sustainable use and management of natural resources; (ii) Improving rural infrastructure and trade-related capacities for market access; (iii) Increasing agricultural production and improving food security and nutrition; (iv) Support for institutional development and the harmonization of policies.
The CAADP of IGAD has been validated during the month of May 2013 in Kampala, Uganda by representatives of Member States, civil societies and organizations of producers. By the signature of this document, IGAD is the second Regional Economic Community (REC) who signed the regional CAADP.
