Prime Minister Bernard Makuza ( Photo:F. Goodman)

African countries signatory to the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Programme (CAADP)

and development partners have vowed to recommit to the principles of eliminating poverty

by accelerating agricultural development.

MINECOFIN Hon.Minister John Rwangombwa


The new government plan to overhaul the agricultural sector and increase food and the nutritional security

of the country Tuesday 8th of December,2009 received a major boost from development partners

who pledged to meet the $350m shortfall.

The Agriculture Sector Strategy and Investment Plan to be implemented by the government

between 2009 and 2012 will cost over $800m but the Ministry of Agriculture was experiencing

a gap of $350m that needed to be raised by April 2010 in order to include it in the 2010/11 budget.

The plan which aims to transform agriculture into a modern, professionally-managed and market-oriented

economic undertaking yesterday received the backing of the donor platform including the World Bank,

the United States Government, Canada, IFAD, AfDB and the European Commission among others.

President Paul Kagame called upon African countries to commit more funds to the agricultural sector

if the continent is to address

the problem of food security and transform one of the major engines for growth and prosperity.

The President was speaking at a two-day meeting of the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural

Development (CAADP) which opened in Kigali on 7th December,2009.

Hon. Minister Dr.Agnes Kalibata, Addressing the audience in the World Summit on food Security in Roma.

The meeting had the following committments and actions;

Principal 1: Invest in country-owned plans at channelling resources to well designed and
results- based programmes and patnerships.
Principal 2: Foster strategic coordination at national, regional and Global level to improve governance,
promote better allacationof resources, avoid duplication of efforts and identify response-gaps.
principal 3: Strive for a comprehensive twin -track approach to food security that consists of:
(1) Direct action to immediatel tackle hunger for the most vulnerable and
(2) medium and long term sustainable agriculture,food security nutrition and rural development programmes
to eliminate the root causes of hunger and poverty,including through the progressive
realization of right to adquate food.
Principal 4: Ensure a strong role for the multilateral system by sustained improvements in

efficiency,responsiveness,coordination and effectiveness of multilateral institutions.
Principal 5: Ensure sustained and substantial commitment by all partners to invest in agriculture and food

security and nutrition,
with provision of necessary resources in a timely andreliable fashion, aimed at multi-year plans and programmes.

Rwanda will play host to the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Program (CAADP)
stake holders' meeting slated for December 7-8, 2009. Addressing the media yesterday, the
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Ernest Ruzindaza,
said the high level meeting will bring together all CAADP partners and stakeholders.
The meeting is expected to attract representatives from the continent's regional economic
blocs and the donor community. According to Ruzindaza, the summit will mainly focus on reviewing
the achievements registered in line with CAADP's direction, analyzing the challenges encountered

and forging the way forward.

The Rwanda Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) has initiated programmes

to promote proper farming practices to conserve soil.
The programmes; Sustainable Land use Management project [SLM] and Radical

Terracing Programme [RTP] will run for three years in heavily degraded areas.

Finance Minister James Musoni and African Development Bank Resident Representative Diko Mukete after

the signing. The government and the African Development Bank (AfDB), on 26th october 2009, signed

a grant agreement worth $23 million (Rwf13bn) to finance the Bugesera Natural Regional Rural Infrastructure Project.