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A ‘very rich’ legacy built up during the last eight years at the head of the continental body’s Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment (DARBE) portfolio is her gift to the new African Union Commissioner, the outgoing Commissioner of the African Union, Josefa Correia Sacko has said.
The diplomat said this during a press conference following the 46th Ordinary Session of the African Union Executive Council, which, among other things, elected the AU’s six commissioners.
When she took over in 2017, Sacko said she had come across the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), which she considered to be emblematic.
During her final days at the African Union Commission, Sacko played a key role in defining the CAADP strategy for the next 10 years (2026-2035), aimed at transforming and intensifying sustainable food production, agro-industrialisation and trade, to transform the continent’s agri-food systems.
She said that the Kampala Declaration is ‘very rich’, judging by the six strategic pillars, and will therefore serve the new DARBE Commissioner, Mr Moses Vilakati of Eswatini, who was elected on Wednesday, to mobilise resources aimed at ensuring the efficient development of agriculture.
According to Josefa Sacko, Africans must take their destiny into their own hands and cannot depend on partners to implement ‘our programmes.
“It’s up to us Africans to invest in this important sector, agriculture, so that once and for all, we can put an end to the hunger and misery that plague our continent,” she emphasised.
She reiterated that she had left behind a strategy on climate change, which did not exist before her mandate at the AUC.
“We had no continental strategy in this area, and I’m also leaving the strategy on biodiversity. There are many instruments that I leave here that will strengthen the roadmap for us to turn around the problems experienced by most Africans in terms of food and nutrition,” said the AU Commissioner in a gesture of stocktaking of what has been done.
Another important element of her work at the AU has to do with having secured US$53 million for the laying of the foundation stone for the construction of the animal vaccine laboratory.
In this regard, she emphasised that most African countries continue to face difficulties in achieving an adequate level of food and nutritional security for a constantly growing population, while sustainably preserving natural resources.
According to her, one of the solutions to major challenges in agriculture lies in the animal resources sector, in particular livestock farming, which is a crucial means of subsistence for Africa’s rural populations and is of great strategic importance for the continent’s food and nutritional security and intra-African and international trade.
According to the outgoing AU Commissioner, from the projections made, the eradication of animal diseases requires an estimated budget of 528 million euros to carry out the programme, which will require the collaboration, partnerships and coalitions of all stakeholders to mobilise the resources.
“At this juncture, let me recognise and appreciate the European Union Commission’s commitment to make 100 million euros available for the eradication of this plague. I am pleased to report that 8 million euros have already been released for the preparatory phase of the programme,” Commissioner Sacko said.
She emphasised that in the absence of an increase in livestock production and productivity, the growing demand for food of animal origin will be met by an increase in livestock import bills for many African countries.
Another good legacy, according to Josefa Sacko, is the programme that aims to increase the study of the role of women in agriculture, which did not exist before she assumed office. She counts on the support of the United Nations to outline the strategy for the role of women in agriculture. She recalled that 80% of agricultural products are produced by women so empowering them is a challenge to be overcome.
