Professor Richard Mkandawire, a renowned champion of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) and current Africa Director of the Alliance for African Partnership (AAP), has called for continental alignment of agricultural extension and advisory services with the CAADP framework.
Delivering a keynote address titled “Embedding African Agricultural Advisory Services and Extension into CAADP: A Call to Action” at the opening of the 7th Africa-Wide Agricultural Extension Week (AAEW) in Lilongwe, Malawi, Mkandawire emphasized the urgency of integrating these services into Africa’s agricultural transformation agenda.
CAADP, an Agenda 2063 continental initiative, seeks to eradicate hunger and reduce poverty by fostering agriculture-led economic growth across Africa.
Mkandawire highlighted lessons learned from the continental program, stressing the need for a “coalition of the willing” to drive transformative food systems. “We must unite civil society organizations, researchers, and academic institutions under one collective voice,” he asserted. He further advocated for strengthened advisory services through increased government financing, urging African nations to explore innovative domestic funding mechanisms.
“We cannot perpetually depend on the Global North. It is time to engage Africa’s middle class in revitalizing our agricultural sector, including restoring our soils—among the most degraded globally,” he declared.
The 7th AAEW, hosted by Malawi’s Ministry of Agriculture in partnership with the African Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services (AFAAS) and the Malawi Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services (MaFAAS), commenced on Monday in Lilongwe. Under the theme “Rebranding Extension for Enhanced Public/Private Sector-Driven Commercialization, Industrialization, and Inclusive Food Systems,” the event has drawn delegates from across Africa and beyond to share insights, forge partnerships, and shape future strategies for agricultural extension services.