Our Commitment
The Common African Agro-Parks Programme (CAAPs) is aimed at boosting regional trade for agricultural commodities by increasing locally processing of key agricultural products. The CAAPs will help Africa take over the African Food Import Market of about USD50 billion per annum that is currently outsourced to the rest of the world.
WORKING TOGETHER FOR YOU
The Common African Agro-Parks Programme (CAAPs) was initiated in 2019 as one of the concrete initiatives of the Comprehensive African Agricultural Programme (CAADP) to be implemented within the framework of the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063 in order to achieve the CAADP Malabo commitments, particularly the commitment to “triple intra-African trade in agricultural commodities and services.”
CAAPs emerged from the major recommendations of the inaugural CAADP-Biennial Review (BR) Report presented to the 2018 AU Assembly of Heads of States, where recommendations were formulated for the AU Commission to initiate continental actions that shall aim at: i)- boosting regional trade for agricultural commodities by increasing locally processing of key agricultural products and their respective value chains; ii)- promoting and facilitating increased consumption of locally and regionally produced agricultural commodities; iii) -achieving self-sufficiency and lowest possible importation of key agriculture commodities in Africa; and iv)-stimulating local and regional private sector investments in agriculture. The implementation of the CAAPs will assist Africa in reclaiming the roughly USD50 billion per year African Food Import Market, which is currently outsourced to the rest of the world.
The CAAPs is coordinated by the AU Commission, through the Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment (ARBE); the Economic Development, Trade, Industry and Mining (ETIM) in partnership with the Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA); – African Export-Import Bank (Afrexim Bank); and the Forum for Agriculture Research in Africa (FARA).
These core institutions are steering the coordination of the CAAPs through two major organs: the CAAPs Steering Committee (CAAP-SC) and the Technical Coordination Team (the CAAPs-TCT), with the CAAPs-Secretariat hosted at FARA.
STATEMENT FROM OUR LEADERS
Dr. Janet Edeme
The Head of Rural Development Division (ARBE) and Chair of the CAAP-TWG (AUC) These projects, as models of integrated agro-industrial development, will pave the way for large-scale investments and policy innovations across Africa.
Eng. Hani Salem Sonbol
CEO of International Islamic Trade Finance, Corporation (ITFC) Together, we are set to transform agricultural productivity across Africa by creating innovative agro-industrial parks that promote cutting-edge technology transfer and drive economic development.
Ms. Florence A. Makombe
Chief Director, Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Zimbabwe There has been progress made on the Zimbabwe and Zambia trade agreement which is expected to blossom in terms of food production. Now, there is need to adjust from the last meeting held in Harare recently, which looked at the legal framework.
Musokotwane Sichizuwe
Director of the Ministry of Commerce, Trade, and Industry of Zambia Zambia has prioritized farm blocks. Initially, the focus was on special economic zones but now extended to farm blocks. It aligns well given that we are trying to do some of these things at a regional level.”
Dr. Yemi Akinbamijo
Former Executive Director of the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA)
“The CAAPs initiative must be taken to heart by African Leaders to allow Africa to change the narrative of the agricultural transformation including conducting African leaders and stakeholders’ awareness meetings, seminars or conferences on the importance of the CAAPs, foster a collective leadership in establishing the CAAPs, creating publicity, regular and intensive dialogues between Heads of States, African Ministers, African Investors, Business Entrepreneurs on the necessity to work together to make the CAAPs a reality for African development and prosperity.”
His Excellency Amb. Albert Muchanga
The Commissioner for Economic Development, Trade, Industry, and Mining of the African Union Commission (AUC).
“We shall be action-oriented when developing the CAAPs program. We shall tease out all the challenges and opportunities to come up with forward-looking action programs that can advance the CAAPs.”
His Excellency Wamkele Mene
Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat.
“The CAAPs initiative will be a key instrument for advancing the implementation of the AfCFTA that will demonstrate concrete action …as a catalyst to leverage private sector investments in agro-processing and light manufacturing to boost agricultural-led industrialization and trade.”
Dr. Benedict Okey Oramah
President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank).
“CAAPs holds enormous transformative potential for the agro-industrial landscape of the continent and is a potential game-changer as it could catalyze value along the entire agro-value chains. The Bank reaffirms its commitments to the CAAPs initiative because it addresses areas of the strategic focus of the Bank which include: supporting agro-value chains and supporting the development of agro-industrial parks and agro-processing zones.”
H.E. Ambassador Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko
Chair – CAAPs Steering Committee
( Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment (ARBE) of the African Union Commission)
“The Common African Agro-Parks (CAAPs) Initiative of the AUC, is a panacea to substantially increase productivity,
production, value addition, product development, logistics, and consumption of major priority
agricultural commodities in Africa.”
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