23rd July, 2025
By Happy Mulolani
In its continued efforts to catalyse Africa’s development, the Common African Agro Parks programme (CAAPs) have continued to engage with donor, member states, regional economic communities and the private sector to crowd in investments. The CAAPs are vehicles whose aim is to promote cross-border projects that leverage initiatives focusing on building their priority or strategic commodities. In essence, it focuses on agricultural value chains and agribusiness value chains. This approach is expected to spur economic development and transformation in Africa.
So far, two major agro parks have been initiated, including the Zambia and Zimbabwe agriculture value chain agreement signed in 2021, which is the first-ever Common Agro Industrial Park (CAIP) expected to stimulate regional trade in the Southern Africa region, as well as the Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana value chain.
The Forum for Agricultural Research Coordinator, Anselme Vodounhessi, explains that the CAAPS anticipates building a megacity of regionally initiated industries to meet Africa’s food demands. Currently, Africa spends over US$50billion annually on food imports to feed its population. To overcome these hurdles, the CAAPs can access finance through the Green Climate Fund (GCF), given the prevalent climatic shocks that tend to affect food production and productivity.
Pan African Agribusiness Apex Chamber Programme, Director Wisdom Adongo, explains that for CAAPs to access funds under the Green Climate Fund, country action areas need to align with the Green Climate Fund guidelines. “National Determined Contributions and National Adaptation Plans are required to be in tandem with climate policies to effectively work in our regional initiatives,” Mr Adongo said. He pointed out the need for a framework that takes into account the Nationally Determined Contributions each country sets to achieve. “Financing for CAAPs needs to align with NDCs, and the country’s actions and targets,” Mr Adongo stated.
While Chola Mfula of the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), concurs that the NDCs are a premise every country sets targets, and needs to examine whether this approach works, given that the projects being focused on are at the regional level. Mr Mfula attests to the myriad of opportunities and markets that exist, which require tapping and exploiting within the confines of the CAAPs.
“What is required is to critically look at regional investment plans, such as the CAAPs Zimbabwe/Zambia agriculture value chain,” he stated. The CAAPS model envisages industrial Africa’s agriculture with some positive strides. The strategic relevance of DFI is to help with trade facilitation, infrastructure financing, institutional strengthening and project preparation, including financing feasibility studies, master plans, and technical assistance.
Notably, CAAPS is a flagship project to achieve NDCs and impact credit actions. This would also prompt other countries to take a leaf from this approach once it succeeds.
Source: NAIS
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