Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja Inaugurates CAADP Summit Ministerial Session
Kampala, Uganda - January 9, 2025: The Rt. Hon. Robinah Nabbanja, Prime Minister of Uganda, officially opened the Ministerial Session of the African Union Extraordinary Summit on the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Strategy and Action Plan 2026-2035. The event, held at Speke Resort Munyonyo, gathered distinguished delegates from across Africa to deliberate on and adopt the post-Malabo CAADP Agenda, now termed the Kampala CAADP Agenda.
In her welcoming address, Prime Minister Nabbanja extended warm greetings to all participants, emphasizing Uganda's pride in hosting such a pivotal summit. She acknowledged the extensive consultative process spearheaded by the African Union Commission over the past 18 months, which culminated in the formulation of the CAADP Strategy and Action Plan 2026-2035 and the Kampala Declaration.
Highlighting Uganda's leadership role as the Chair of the African Union Specialized Technical Committee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Water, and Environment (STC-ARDWE), Prime Minister Nabbanja praised the collaborative efforts of the Ministers of Agriculture. She urged them to focus on the effective implementation of the strategy to meet the continent's agricultural development goals.
Prime Minister Nabbanja stressed the urgent need to reduce Africa's dependency on food imports and to enhance the resilience of the agricultural sector to climate change and technological advancements. She referenced the African Development Bank's report, which underscores Africa's vast agricultural potential, yet points out the continent's substantial food import bill of USD 100 billion in 2021.
To address these challenges, Prime Minister Nabbanja proposed several strategic initiatives, including:
- Policy reviews for food security and nutrition.
- Investment in research for improved seeds and livestock.
- Increased investment in irrigation and mechanization to mitigate climate change impacts and boost production.
- Mobilization of the African population for enhanced production, productivity, and profitability.
- Promotion of regional trade and the elimination of trade barriers to foster economic and political cooperation.
- Value addition to agricultural products, leveraging the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to export finished and branded products from Africa.
Concluding her remarks, Prime Minister Nabbanja officially declared the Ministerial Session open, calling on all participants to work collaboratively towards achieving the vision of "The Africa We Want."
For God and My Country
