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Policy Program > Highlights

COMESA Takes Lead Role in Coordinating CAADP of NEPAD

The Secretariat of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) has been assigned the lead role in coordinating the implementation of the Comprehensive African Agricultural Policy (CAADP) under NEPAD, the New Partnership for Africa's Development for the East and Central African (ECA) region. The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has the lead role for the southern African region while ECOWAS (the Economic Community for West African States) coordinates the West African region. Similar arrangements exist for North Africa. CAADP has been endorsed by African Heads of State and Government as a framework for the restoration of agricultural growth, food security and rural development in Africa within an integrated and coordinated approach. CAADP provides four specific thrusts for improving Africa's agriculture and these are:

Extending the area under sustainable land management and reliable water control systems;
Improving rural infrastructure and trade related capacities for market access;
Increasing food supply, reducing hunger and improving responses to food emergency crises; and
Improving agricultural research, technology dissemination and adoption.

The development of the Action Plan which will be considered at the joint G8 and African leaders meeting to be held in Accra, Ghana on May 4-5, 2005 was preceded by a series of, Regional Implementation Planning (RIP) meetings. The RATES Policy Team, together with USAID/REDSO, has been assisting COMESA to develop an Action Plan on the implementation of CAADP.