Moses Vilakati outlines Africa food plan

African Union Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment (ARBE), Moses Vilakati, has called on African countries to work together to strengthen food production, improve food security and create more jobs through agriculture.

Vilakati made the remarks while addressing the Pan-African Parliament Committee on Rural Economy, Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment at the Pan-African Parliament headquarters in Midrand, South Africa.

In a post shared after the meeting, Vilakati said he presented the African Union Commission’s plan to advance the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), which guides agricultural development across the continent.

He said the presentation focused on the CAADP Kampala Strategy and Action Plan for the period 2026-2035.

According to Vilakati, the strategy aims to improve Africa’s food systems by linking farming, agro-processing, trade, nutrition, investment, climate resilience and good governance.

He said the goal was to support long-term growth in agriculture and improve the lives of people across the continent.

Vilakati said Africa needed to speed up efforts to transform its food systems to reduce dependence on imported food, improve food and nutrition security, create jobs for women and young people, and build stronger economies.

He said the strategy supports the African Union’s Agenda 2063, which sets out the continent’s long-term development goals.

Among the targets of the strategy are increasing agricultural and food production by 45%, tripling trade in agricultural and food products between African countries and mobilising US$100 billion in public and private investment for the sector.

Vilakati also called on members of the Pan-African Parliament to support the implementation of the Kampala Declaration in their respective countries.

He said this could be done by passing the necessary laws, increasing investment in agriculture, strengthening parliamentary oversight and improving cooperation among government institutions and other stakeholders.

“Together, through strong political leadership and collective action, we can accelerate Africa’s journey towards food sovereignty, resilient agrifood systems and shared prosperity,” Vilakati said.

Vilakati was elected African Union Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment earlier this year.