Over the past two decades, the agricultural sector has emerged as a key driver of Africa’s economic growth. This has occurred under the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), the African Union’s policy framework for continental agricultural transformation.
CAADP has evolved from a bold political commitment into a continent-wide architecture for action. From the Maputo Declaration (2003) to the Malabo Declaration (2014), each phase has generated crucial lessons, strengthening Africa’s agricultural agenda. Meanwhile, policy innovations and programmatic interventions across the continent have yielded practical insights for advancing Africa’s agrifood system ambitions. These experiences now underpin the third iteration of the CAADP framework. This iteration is reflected in the Kampala Declaration on Building Resilient and Sustainable Agrifood Systems (2025). Together, they provide a robust evidence base to guide future action and scale successful interventions.
As countries prepare for phase three of CAADP, a central question emerges: what has driven Africa’s progress in transforming its agrifood systems? And what do these lessons mean for the Kampala Agenda?
Turning Commitments into Country-led Action: Six Priorities for Implementation
The Kampala Declaration, effective January 1, 2026, signals a decisive shift. Building on earlier CAADP commitments, it places delivery, execution, and accountability at the center of Africa’s agrifood systems agenda.
A new report by the Malabo Montpellier Panel draws on 70 country-level case studies from the past decade. It identifies the policy, institutional and investment choices that have delivered measurable results. The Panel translates these insights into actionable recommendations. It highlights proven interventions across the six Kampala commitments, offering a clear roadmap to achieve the Declaration’s ambitious goals by 2035.
Intensifying Sustainable Food Production, Agro-industrialisation, and Trade
Tripling intra-African trade, raising output by 45 percent and halving post-harvest losses will require sustained investment. This investment must focus on technology, diversification and building competitive value chains. In Ethiopia and Rwanda, coordinated investment packages in small-scale irrigation, improved seed systems and advisory services have delivered strong results. In targeted production zones, these efforts have helped double crop yields. Meanwhile, trade-enhancing reforms in Kenya, South Africa and Uganda have boosted competitiveness and strengthened cross-border food availability. This includes streamlined border procedures, harmonised trading standards and modern transport corridors.
Boosting Investment and Financing for Agrifood Systems Transformation
The Declaration aims to mobilise US$100 billion in public and private investment by 2035 and allocate 10 per cent of national budgets to agriculture. It also calls for reinvesting 15 per cent of agrifood GDP each year. Achieving these targets will require governments to adopt effective strategies that prioritise innovation and targeted support. Agrifood investments must also be integrated into medium-term fiscal frameworks and national development plans to ensure lasting impact. Countries such as Morocco, Seychelles and Zambia have leveraged revolving funds, blended finance instruments and results-based subsidies to expand access to capital. These approaches are helping women, youth and small producers unlock untapped potential in their agricultural sectors.
Ensuring Food and Nutrition Security
Zero Hunger and a 30 percent reduction in child stunting, wasting and overweight are also central targets of the Declaration, with countries like Malawi, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana offering lessons on how to achieve them. By integrating production policies with nutrition-sensitive interventions, these countries have stabilised demand for nutritious foods and strengthened local markets. Effective measures include linking schools with local farmers, investing in biofortification, and establishing nutrition-focused social safety nets. Crucially, success has hinged on coordinated action across agriculture, health, and education ministries, breaking down traditional silos.
Advancing Inclusivity and Equitable Livelihoods
Reducing extreme poverty and narrowing the gender yield gap by half across Africa will depend on reforms that prioritise equitable access. Evidence from Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya and Zimbabwe indicates that empowering women and youth through greater direct participation and ownership in agrifood systems yields tangible gains in productivity and income. In Rwanda and Zimbabwe, youth-focused agribusiness programs and digital innovation hubs have enabled young people to transition from informal, low-productivity work to higher-value roles along agrifood value chains.
Building Resilient Agrifood Systems
Achieving the ambition of protecting at least 40 percent of households from climate shocks will require a shift from reactive to anticipatory governance. Successful initiatives in Niger, Mali, Zambia and Morocco show that investing in early warning systems, drought-tolerant crops, solar irrigation and climate-informed advisory services reduces vulnerability and stabilises production. Furthermore, investments in land restoration, sustainable water management and circular economy approaches, as observed in Ghana and Uganda, demonstrate that climate resilience and productivity can be mutually reinforcing.
Strengthening Agrifood Systems Governance
Governance stands out as the unifying factor across all areas of progress. Countries that prioritise inter-ministerial coordination, data-driven planning, and transparent regulation consistently achieve faster and more sustainable results. In Rwanda and Senegal, regular performance reviews, clear institutional mandates, and digital monitoring tools have strengthened accountability and boosted investor confidence. Strong governance has also improved alignment between national priorities and regional commitments, especially under CAADP and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Scaling Up Solutions to Achieve Success by 2035
The Kampala Declaration provides Africa with a credible roadmap to resilient, inclusive, and sustainable agrifood systems by 2035. The strong performance of Africa’s agrifood systems over the past two decades offers well-documented solutions and success stories across the continent.
What matters now is execution. As countries embark on implementation, it will be crucial to consistently adapt these lessons to national realities and apply them at scale. If countries rise to this challenge, the Kampala era can serve as a catalyst to continue and accelerate the progress achieved over the past two decades under CAADP.
