Etim Imisim
5 August 2009
Togo has endorsed the Compact of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD).
The West African nation became the second country to country to sign the compact since CAADP was established at African Union (AU) summit in Maputo in 2003. The first country, Rwanda, signed in 2006.
With the compact, Togo has positioned its National Programme of Agricultural Investment (NIPA) as a strategic planning framework for a long term agricultural investment and a platform for cooperation between the partners in the agricultural sector of Togo.
Togolese ministries of finance and agriculture and representatives of AU-NEPAD, Economic Community of West African states (ECOWAS) as well as development partners and the private sector signed the compact during roundtable meetings. The events, which took place at Lome July 29-30, were attended by 150 agriculture experts and policy makers.
CAADP is hinged on anticipation of a six per cent average annual growth rate in national agriculture, and the allocation of ten percent of national budgets to the sector. It is an African Union programme and came out of the 2003 AU Maputo Declaration. Nigeria, it turns out, has exceeded the Maputo agreement on budgetary allocation.
A statement from CAADP-NEPAD office in Johannesburg at the weekend said the compact is a mutual commitment between the government of Togo and the various national, regional and international agencies that are committed to CAADP agenda.
The statement, signed by Dr. Andrew Kangiyirire, CAADP communication manager, said the programme has brought about a fundamental shift in the way African leaders see agriculture and its potential to end poverty, hunger, and malnutrition.
The programme is the greatest weapon the continent has to grow national economies and attain the UN Millennium Development Goals, the statement add.
"This is clearly a landmark moment in the progress of CAADP," the statement cited Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, NEPAD's new chief executive officer, as saying.
Prof. Richard Mkandawire, NEPAD Agriculture Adviser, said that Togo's compact creates an opportunity for the West African nation to use shared framework and strategic to planning and implementation, and for partnership and development assistance in the country's Agriculture sector.
"A key aspect of this will include genuine support towards Togo's NIPA for the purposes of designing quality investment programmes that are in line with the country's priorities", Mkandawire added.
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