Tanzania Non State Actors to engage more effectively in CAADP, Malabo Declaration

23/07/2015

 Tanzanian Non State Actors (NSAs) have created a national platform to engage more effectively with the continental and national agriculture initiatives. The platform was realised at the end of the three day workshop in Dar es Salaam hosted by ESAFF and ANSAF with the support from the CAADP Non State Actors Coalition (CNC and Africa Lead).

The platform will coordinate engagements on the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) and the Malabo Declaration 2014 Commitments in the national context.

Speaking at the event, ESAFF Coordinator Mr Joe Mzinga said the Maputo Declaration on Agriculture and Food Security in Africa (2003) went almost unnoticed and many actors only started engaging to implement it in 2010s. in the Declaration African countries had committed to allocate at least 10% of their national budgets to the agriculture sector and persue  6% annual growth of the sector. Only handful countries realised the commitment.

To go into the future post Maputo commitments were made in the Malabo Declaration 2014. Mr Mzinga noted that for the declaration to be implemented by African states it was paramount for stakeholders to engage the governments to influence the processes.

“We have a new train called Malabo Declaration 2014, recommitting African States to Commit 10% of the budget to the agriculture sector. This is good for farmers but only if implemented. And not only being implemented, but in such a way it must benefit small scale farmers.  Farmers, farmers’ organisations, civil society and private sector need to be more organised to set top the agriculture agenda in their countries,” noted Mr Mzinga.  He added that the only way to engage is to influence the processes from within the onset and be at the top of the agenda in every state.

Agriculture Non-State Actors Forum (ANSAF) Executive Director, Mr. Audax Rukonge said the engagement will be meaningful if NSA starts to organise and engage right from the grassroots to districts, regional and national.  “Is there any point to engage at national level when we have no connections from the grassroots where farmers are?” he posed.  He was categorically that the time to speak out for beneficiaries was gone and is time to organise and speak with them. But all these require concerted efforts, time and resources, he noted.

Katie Hankie from the African Lead Team said his organisation would support the same initiative to NSA in the region to enable CSOs organise better and increase understanding on the processes.  Lead is supporting some initiatives in  East Africa ( Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya) as well as Malawi, Ghana and Nigeria and the West Africa regional economic community (ECOWAS).

The initiatives to bring NSA together is spearheaded by the newly established CAADP Non State Actors Coalition (CNC) which is the continental body engaging CAADP and Malabo Declaration at the continental level. The CNC see the initiative as a building block at all level on agriculture issues to enable effective implementation of the Malabo Declaration. Mr. Buba Khan, the CNC Coordinator called for improved State and intergovernmental bodies coordination and understanding of the issues. He was grateful that the process was Tanzanian led and inspired by the NSA themselves.