ABSTRACT
For the past two decades, the Africa agricultural policy landscape is being shaped by the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), the agricultural pillar of Agenda 2063 under the Maputo Declaration in 2003 and Malabo Declaration in 2014. As an Africa owned and led programme, CAADP is a significant structural transformation framework for driving agricultural transformation across Africa, a fundamental shift toward development. The commitment to allocate a minimum of 10% national budget to achieve 6% annual growth of the agriculture sector thereby eradicating hunger and reducing poverty through agriculture remains the essential and insightful ingredient of the Maputo Declaration theory of change. By 2013, only 8 countries met or surpassed the 10 percent target, 45 AU Member States signed CAADP Compacts, 31 countries developed National Agricultural Investment Plans (NAIPs), four regional plans were finalized, and 28 countries completed the CAADP process and mobilized resources through the GAFSP to implement their NAIPs. Under the Malabo Declaration, the continent recommitted to the principles and values of CAADP through the adoption of seven (7) Commitments for achieving “Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation for Shared Prosperity and Improved livelihoods” by 2025. As of 2023, no African Union (AU) Member State was on track to meet the Malabo Declaration targets by 2025. Based on two decades quantitative, qualitative data and evidences gathered on NAIPs and RAIPs implementation, the paper will shed light on salient success and failures factors to inform future implementation of the new “CAADP Strategy and Action Plan: 2026-2035” under the Kampala Declaration on Building Resilient and Sustainable Agrifood Systems in Africa and propose a paradigm shift for sustainable food security in Africa.