Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security, Hon. Dr. Joseph Sam Sesay on Monday made a presentation at the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) Donors and Partners Meeting currently being held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
After his resourceful presentation, Dr. Sesay received a standing ovation plus a generation of accolades and compliments from the audience.
The conference, which is organized by the African Union (AU) Commission in collaboration with Global Donor Platform for Rural Development; a network of donor organizations, is being hosted at the United Nations conference centre.
The primary objective of the meeting was to discuss and agree on the modalities, including principles and processes, through which donor support for CAADP aligned country plans could be mobilized and harmonized with on-going country led initiatives, and to strategize on how upcoming high level events (such as the UN General Assembly and G20) can cement political backing for a serious and ambitious increase in action on food security and agricultural development.
Dr. Sesay, who also doubles as CAADP’s Champion Minister and Leader of Sierra Leone’s delegation to the confab, spoke on the political will and leadership within the continent and called for an increase in budgetary allocation to the agricultural sector.
The Minister based his presentation on the Goals and Challenges ahead from a Country Perspective. He described CAADP as the Way Forward for Africa’s Development, adding that “agriculture is the ‘engine’ for socio-economic growth and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) 1.
He said: “CAADP is a realistic roadmap for Africa’s economic development and agriculture is the main stay of most African economies.”
Dr. Sesay called on development partners to collectively support the country compacts.
The meeting attracted Ministers of Agriculture from across Africa, a galaxy of high profile development partners and donor consortiums.
Sierra Leone’s delegation to the meeting also included Messers, Donald Ngegba, Director, Regional Integration and South South Cooperation in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development and Prince Kamara, Sierra Leone CAADP Process Coordinator in the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security.
His Excellency Andrew Gbebay Bangali, Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the AU and is also accredited to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa in Addis Ababa and the Information Attaché at the Embassy, Mr. Abdul Karim Koroma attended the meeting.
The meeting will end on Wednesday 9th September, 2009.
Meanwhile, Sierra Leone will be the fifth country after Rwanda, Togo, Burundi and Ethiopia that is scheduled to sign the CAADP Country Compact Agreement on 17-18 October, 2009 in Freetown.
The signing ceremony will be preceded by a two-day partnership meeting. His Excellency President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma, Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Agriculture and CAADP’s Champion President will deliver the keynote address during the event.
The NEPAD Secretariat recently appointed President Koroma as the CAADP Champion President to articulate the CAADP agenda at international gatherings.
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