The regional biennial review report on commitments from the Malabo Declaration—including goals such as halving poverty through agriculture, enhancing investment finance, ensuring mutual commitment, and boosting resilience to climatic variability—has revealed that all member states under the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), including Uganda, have not met the established targets.
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This information was presented by Caro Brenda Lorika, an environmental and social development expert with IGAD and the world Bank, during the dissemination of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) report focused on food systems resilience in the Eastern and Southern Africa region.
According to the fourth regional review report compiled by IGAD regarding the seven commitments outlined in the Malabo Declaration, all six member states, including Uganda, have underperformed.
“Overall, all member states, including Uganda, are not on track to fulfill the seven commitments in the Malabo Declaration, based on data that was available during the review period in August 2023. However, certain indicators within some of the commitments show progress. In light of this situation, IGAD has decided to convene dialogues with member states to identify challenges, gaps, and opportunities for enhancing these commitments, as well as to establish a clear roadmap for achieving the set targets,” Mrs. Caro Lorika explained.
Mrs. Caro Brenda Lorika noted that, according to the Malabo Declaration commitments, each member state is required to allocate 10% of its annual budget to boost investment in agriculture; however, the actual funds provided fall short of this percentage. She remains optimistic that continuous engagement will help address these issues.
“Although Uganda has made some progress on certain commitments, it still struggles with investment financing. All member governments should advocate for resources in various areas within their annual budgets, as well as seek funding from the private sector and donors.
“In our fourth Biennial Review, at least six out of the eight member states reported their progress. Sudan did not report due to ongoing conflict, while Eritrea has been less involved. Despite some level of progress reported from these six member states, overall performance remains off track, differing from the first Biennial Review report produced in 2017, which indicated that most countries were on track.
“We are hopeful that through roundtable discussions with the member states, we will be able to support them in improving their performance while identifying areas needing attention. We aim to advocate for support from all stakeholders in this cause,” Mrs. Caro Lorika expressed optimism.
Max Tusiime, the focal person for the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) at the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, noted that as Uganda prepares for the Kampala Declaration agreed upon earlier this year by heads of state during a summit held in Kampala, there is a pressing need to improve fertilizer intake and enhance data availability.
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