🌍 Global Affairs & Food Security

🌿 Kampala Declaration 2025 – Africa Charts a New Path for Agri-Food Systems

The Extraordinary African Union Summit on CAADP concluded on January 11, 2025, in Kampala, Uganda, with the adoption of the Kampala Declaration — a strategic framework to transform Africa’s agri-food systems from 2026 to 2035.
This bold agenda marks the end of the Malabo Declaration era and signals a renewed commitment to food security, climate resilience, and nutrition-sensitive agriculture.

📜 CAADP – A Quick Background

• Launched: July 2003, Maputo, Mozambique
• Objective: Raise agricultural productivity and combat food insecurity
• Maputo Commitment: Allocate 10% of national budgets to agriculture

📈 Evolution:

• 2014: Malabo Declaration brought in goals like:
  • Ending hunger by 2025
  • Tripling intra-African agricultural trade
  • Building climate and economic resilience

Despite ambition, progress has been uneven, prompting a strategic reset.

🍽️ Food Security Snapshot (2024–25)

• 20.4% of Africans face hunger
• 58% experience food insecurity
• Double burden: Rising malnutrition + obesity
• Contributing factors:
  • COVID-19 aftermath
  • Internal conflicts
  • Russia-Ukraine war impacts
  • Climate disruptions

🌾 These shocks exposed vulnerabilities across Africa’s food systems.

🔁 From Malabo to Kampala – What’s Changing?

Post-Malabo Agenda (2026–2035)

• Embraces an agri-food systems approach, beyond just agriculture
• Focuses on:
  • Food production, distribution, and consumption
  • Environmental sustainability
  • Nutrition-sensitive policies
  • Economic inclusivity

A whole-of-system vision replacing the earlier input-target model.

🧬 Key Themes in the Kampala Declaration

1. 🌱 Sustainability – Climate-smart agriculture & ecosystem protection
2. 🛡️ Resilience – Preparedness for future shocks
3. 🥗 Nutrition – Promoting diverse and healthy diets
4. 📦 Value Chains – Strengthening supply logistics & market access
5. 👨‍🌾 Smallholder Support – Especially for women and youth farmers

🚧 Challenges to Overcome

• By 2023, only two African nations were on track for resilience goals
• Barriers include:
  • Lack of funding
  • Weak infrastructure
  • Limited technological adoption

✍️ The Declaration calls for accelerated investment, regional coordination, and policy accountability.

🌍 Why the Kampala Declaration Matters

• Sets a transformative vision for feeding a projected 2.5 billion Africans by 2050
• Aligns agricultural development with:
  • Climate goals
  • Health outcomes
  • Job creation
• Signals Africa’s intent to lead its own food future through smart governance

🕯️ A continent that feeds itself not only survives — it thrives. Kampala marks that turning point.