COMING UP!>>Ep.70 (Season 4, Ep.5) | 12th CAADP Meeting: Matters Arising Around Africa’s Agriculture when the AU is in Accra

Episode #70

(Season 4; Ep.5):  

12^th CAADP Meeting: Matters Arising Around Africa’s Agriculture when the AU is in Accra

We continue Season 4 STILL on the theme of “making money for Africa”.

We started the Season with the Creative Economy, and concluded that Film, more than any other cog in the Creative Economy wheel, was probably the most dominant within that Economy.

In episode 2, we appreciated how, if managed properly, Sports could become the biggest employer in Ghana, the sub region, and the Continent.

Episode 3 saw us beginning to unpack customer service, concluding that, Ghana can achieve an “insanely customer-centric culture” as seen in the West, but it takes exposure and training of frontline staff to do that.

Last week, we revisited the topic of East Africa and its rise for the fourth time, concluding East Africa continues to rise, so it’s time in West Africa, we tweaked what has been working in that region and emulated it.

Today we are revisiting the issue of Africa’s agriculture for the third time. 

In Ep.32 (Season 2), we had our first discussion on the continental compact of CAADP.

Our earlier discussions last year had centred on the role of organisations like AgriPro, which are doing great things around the youth and agric. In 2015, the focus was necessarily continental, with a focus on what synergies can be created between the AU’s Continental CAADP Programme and the CAADP Country Teams, which are critical in the implementation of CAADP – especially at a time when CAADP has entered the next stage of Implementation and Strategy with a view to a 2025 goal.

In episode 70, we still stick with the Continental – not least because the AU is in town for the 12^th CAADP Platform meeting.

The meeting in question – this year’s 12^th Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) – is underway at La Palm Royal Beach Hotel here in Accra.

Organized by the AU Commission and NEPAD on the theme “Innovative Financing and Renewed Partnership to Accelerate CAADP Implementation”, the meeting is an annual continental Forum that seeks to bring together stakeholders in African agriculture.

This 12^th CAADP Meeting further-seeks to highlight how best to accelerate the implementation, through financial innovation and partnerships, for delivering the Malabo Declaration and the African Union Agenda 2063.

This meeting has a specific focus on helping build a shared understanding of country and regional needs and expectations to roll out the Implementation Strategy and Roadmap, including launching efforts to form technical partnerships to align with and support implementation.

CAADP faces new implementation challenges that will require evolving partnerships, including those that seek to integrate major initiatives and flagship efforts now in place that will help target the Malabo declaration.

In today’s edition, we will be speaking to Dr. Aggrey of FARA Secretariat here in Accra who will help unpack the meeting; its objectives; and the future for Africa’s agriculture.

Join us if you can at 2.05pm on 13 April, 2016.

Call us on the following numbers

+233(0)289.000.931

Guiding questions

1.   Why is the 12th  CAADP Partnership Platform meeting (on the theme “Financing African Agriculture and Implementation Support for Accelerated Agriculture Growth and Transformation.”) taking place at this time? Is it a follow-up of an earlier meeting? What's the objective?

2.   Malabo is supposed to be about implementation of CAADP: how central is financing for CAADP?

3.   How central is the private sector in scaling up the discussions on CAADP?

4.   What is the expected contribution of research and innovation; and leading institutions like FARA and the Sub-regional organisations in the implementation of Malabo?

Guests in the studio:

Ø Dr. Aggrey, Director for Corporate Partnerships and Communication; Forum for Agriculture Research in Africa (FARA Secretariat), Accra

   

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*more details will be available soon on www.africainfocusradioshow.org ; africainfocusshow.blogspot.com.

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Call Radio XYZ93.1FM on 0289.000.931

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#PODCAST: Episode 31: Role of Civil Society around Drug Policy in West Africa

EPISODE #31
Research & Co-ordination: E.K.Bensah Jr
Executive Producer: E.K.Bensah Jr

"Dear friends,

In the light of a two-day conference for civil society organisation on Drug Policy in West Africa that was held here in Accra last week, we spoke to two high-level participants who helped us better-understand the concepts; challenges; opportunities around civil society participation in drug policy in West Africa. In many respects, this two-day meeting blazed the trail on this kind of discussion. 

Also on the show, we spoke to Marjorie Abdin of the CAADP National Team to give us an insight into some of the challenges bedeviling that team as it seeks to promote the AU’s CAADP programme on agriculture. What are the challenges, and opportunities that need to be confronted?

Please find below a link to the podcast of the full edition of 10 February edition of "Africa in Focus":

https://www.dropbox.com/s/1e3k7jdvlgqp73p/AFRICA%20IN%20FOCUS%20%2010-02-15.mp3?dl=0


We look forward to comments!

In solidarity!"
Emmanuel""

COMING UP!>>32nd Edition: Africa’s Agriculture: the Compelling Impetus of CAADP for Africa’s Integration

32^nd Edition:  

Africa’s Agriculture: the Compelling Impetus of CAADP for Africa’s Integration

We want to use the thirty-second edition of the Africa in Focus show to reprise the very critical discussion of Africa’s agriculture.

Our earlier discussions last year had centred on the role of organisations like AgriPro, which are doing great things around the youth and agric. This year, the focus is necessarily continental, with a focus on what synergies can be created between the AU’s Continental CAADP Programme and the CAADP Country Teams, which are critical in the implementation of CAADP – especially at a time when CAADP has entered the next stage of Implementation and Strategy with a view to a 2025 goal.

From 2013 through to mid-2014, all AU Member States were involved in ministerial meetings, including being involved in eighteen months of consultations at the national, regional, and continental level, to draw up the AU Heads of State and Government Malabo Declaration on Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation for Shared Prosperity and Improved Livelihoods. The Declaration made no less than seven specific commitments to achieve agricultural growth and transformation for shared prosperity and improved livelihoods, including: upholding 10% public spending target; and sustaining annual agricultural GDP at least 6%.

Even more remarkable, however, is how commitments such as the operationalisation of the African Investment Bank; and fast-tracking of the Continental Free Trade Area (by 2017) find themselves as part of the targets. This makes for interesting conversations around how agriculture can continue to cross-cut through African integration dynamics and become a fully-fledged compelling impetus for Africa’s transformative growth.

These dynamics are part of what will animate discussions around Africa’s agriculture for which reason we are happy to speak to two members of Ghana’s CAADP Country Team; an official of the technical arm of the AU Commission; and finally, a technical expert of the West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP), which is the closest we have come to speaking to the issue of agriculture/CAADP at the regional level. Our efforts to grant an interview to the DG of the Agriculture and Food Agency in Lome, Mr.Salifou, proved futile.

Remarkably, all the organisations we are speaking to on 17 February have one thing in common: they are all linked to CAADP’s Pillar IV.

Now while “Pillar IV” sounds like part of a typical address in Ghana, when located in the context of Africa’s agriculture, it means a whole lot as it refers to agricultural research and technological dissemination and adoption of CAADP.

Join us if you can at 1pm on 17 February, 2015.

Guiding questions

• Why are CAADP Country Teams critical in the implementation of CAADP?
• FARA has been around for 12 years in Ghana. Why has it found it difficult resonating with the Ghanaian public around agriculture?
• How consistent with CAADP implementation is the FARA Strategic Plan 2014-2018?
• What are the synergies between CAADP and WAAPP?

Guests in the studio:

Ø  Kingsley Ofei-Nkansah, Secretary-General, General Agricultural Worker’s Union(GAWU)

Ø  Marjorie Abdin, CAADP Country Team Member

Ø  Mr.Demby, Communications Officer/CAADP Rep, Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa(FARA)

On the line:

·        Dr.Alphonse Belane , West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme(WAAPP) @13h20

INTERVIEW with Marjorie Abdin, Ghana Country Team Member of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Programme(CAADP)

Coming up on 31st Edition:>> "Role of Civil Society around Drug Policy in West Africa"

31^st Edition:  

Role of Civil Society around Drug Policy in West Africa

We want to use the thirty-first edition of the Africa in Focus show to reprise the issue of drug policy in West Africa, which we commenced in Episode 25 of AIF when we spoke to Araba Arhin, a former official of the WACD.

The WACD, West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) and the International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) – in partnership with the Open Society Initiative for West Africa, Kofi Annan Foundation and USAID – is organising a “Civil Society Workshop on Drug Policy in West Africa”.

This two-day workshop will build on previous meetings in West Africa to further develop the capacity of civil society representatives in the region on the issues of drug policy, drug prevention and treatment, harm reduction, security and governance and effective advocacy.

The workshop is the first of two proposed workshops (the second taking place in September or October 2015) – and forms part of a regional project to outreach and disseminate the recommendations from the WACD report, as well as being part of the collaborative efforts to create a West African CSO Drug Policy Network.

To this end, we will be speaking to two high-level participants who can help us better-understand the concepts; challenges; opportunities around civil society participation in drug policy in West Africa. In many respects, this two-day meeting is blazing the trail on this kind of discussion, and we are certain to build on it over time.

Also in the show, we will speak to Marjorie Abdin of the CAADP National Team to give us an insight into some of the challenges bedeviling that team as it seeks to promote the AU’s CAADP programme on agriculture. What are the challenges, and opportunities that need to be confronted?

Join us if you can at 1pm on 10 February, 2015.

Guests in the studio:

Ø  Jamie Bridge, Senior Policy & Operations Manager, International Drug Policy Consortium, UK

Ø  Adeolu Ogunrombi, Commissioner, West African Commission on Drugs

Ø  Kobby Blay, EbolaWatch @14h30

On the line:

·        Marjorie Abdin , Federation of Associations of Ghanaian Exporters/CAADP National Team @13h20