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The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) has called on African leaders to improve food security, reduce poverty and engender economic growth on the continent. The call was made by Batanai Chikwene, the ECA’s Programme Management Officer at the African Trade Policy Centre (ATPC), during the just-concluded Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF).

Chinkwene said more resources are needed to support agriculture and smallholder farmers as the continent is on the cusp of great things with the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). In this regard, the ECA official said African leaders should honour their commitment to allocate 10 per cent of their budgets to agriculture as stated in the Maputo Declaration.

“The AfCFTA will be of immense help to small-scale farmers and startups on the continent. In addition to providing them with 97 per cent market access and a framework for trade facilitation, it will eliminate barriers inhibiting their growth,” said Chikwene. “However, access to finance is also important, which is why I believe the time is ripe for us to urge our leaders to recommit themselves and build the capacity for farmers to increase productivity.”

In July 2003, at the Second Ordinary Assembly of the African Union in Maputo, Mozambique, African leaders agreed to commit to the allocation of at least 10 per cent of their national budgetary resources to agriculture and rural development policy implementation. The agreement was tagged Maputo Declaration on Agriculture and Food Security in Africa.

“So far, just a few of the countries have kept their promise,” Chinkwene said. “Our farmers need the support if the AfCFTA is to make the huge difference that it is expected to make on the continent.”

Organized by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), the first IATF held in Cairo, Egypt on December 11-17, and it will be taking place biennially. Rwanda won the bid to host the second edition in 2020.

“We expected 1,000 exhibitors but we recorded 1,100. We expected 30 countries but we recorded 42, including Russia, China and Indonesia. We projected $25 billion deals but we got $30 billion,” said Benedict Oramah, Afreximbank’s President. “Over 100 business deals were sealed at the fair.”

According to Chikwene, with the AfCFTA, African farmers need to be ready not only to feed their own countries but the entire continent and also to penetrate international markets.

“The private sector also has a crucial role to play in helping to finance the sector,” he said, adding that Africa’s small-scale farming is key to the continent’s economic success, hence the need for African leaders to refocus on the sector.