AU Summit Focuses on Agricultural Sustainability and Resilience

The 23rd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union Heads of State and Government kicked off this week in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. The Summit's theme of "Transforming Africa’s Agriculture for Shared Prosperity and Improved Livelihoods through Harnessing Opportunities for Inclusive Growth and Sustainable Development” is particularly relevant this year, as 2014 also marks the 10-year anniversary of the adoption of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) and the African Union's Year of Agriculture and Food and Nutrition Security.

In a press briefing conducted today, Commissioner of the AU Commission Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture, H.E Tumusiime Rhoda Peace, emphasized that sustainable, inclusive growth must also build the resilience of vulnerable populations like women and children. In her speech, she stressed the need for self-reliance and for transformation inspired and led by Africa's citizens themselves. Such transformation will rely on the adoption of innovative agricultural technologies and dedicated investments by both the public and the private sector.