AUDA NEPAD, SADC and WFP Retreat: A step towards rural transformation in Southern Africa
A momentous event recently took place in Magaliesburg, South Africa. This is the retreat organized by the African Union Development Agency (AUDA NEPAD), in collaboration with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the World Food Program (WFP). This two-day retreat aimed to operationalize the Kinshasa Declaration on Rural Transformation in Southern Africa.
Under the direction of Mrs. Estherine Lisinge Fotabong, Director in charge of Agriculture, Food Security and Environmental Sustainability of AUDA NEPAD, and Mr. Menghestab Haile, Regional Director for Southern Africa of WFP, as well as With the active participation of SADC, delegates from the three organizations worked together to find concrete solutions and implement the decisions taken at the Quadripartite Summit on Eastern DRC, held recently in Angola.
It is important to recall that during this summit, particular attention was paid to the urgency of providing essential services and food aid to the affected populations in eastern DRC. As part of this approach, WFP, in close collaboration with AUDA NEPAD and SADC, is firmly committed to addressing the root causes of food insecurity in Southern Africa.
This retreat echoes the third African Rural Development Forum held in Kinshasa, DRC in January 2022. Organized by AUDA-NEPAD and sponsored by the President of the Republic Félix Tshisekedi, this high-level forum stressed that rural development is essential to ensure sustainable economic development in Africa, given that the majority of the population resides in rural areas.
This forum has also played a crucial role as a platform for consensus building, policy ownership and knowledge exchange to promote rural transformation, territorial development and planning.
This recent retreat between AUDA NEPAD, SADC and WFP marks a significant step forward in achieving the objectives set at the Kinshasa summit and the rural development forum. This demonstrates the commitment of different organizations to work together to foster rural transformation and development in Southern Africa.
The implementation of concrete measures and the development of concrete action plans will make it possible to face the challenges faced by rural populations, particularly in terms of food insecurity. Through this close collaboration, it is hoped that Southern Africa can move forward towards a more sustainable and prosperous future for all