Limuru, Kenya Monday 30 March 2026 – Senior government officials from across Africa have issued a clear call to action: the future of the continent’s agrifood systems depends on delivery, not further policy design.

Meeting in Limuru, Kenya, Permanent Secretaries from ministries of agriculture urged governments to move decisively from strategy formulation to execution, warning that persistent implementation gaps are slowing progress on reducing hunger, and farmers ability to adapt to challenges including economic downturns, market fluctuations and environmental changes to realise their desired prosperity.

Hosted by AGRA in partnership with the Government of Kenya under the theme “Delivering CAADP 2026–2035: From Commitment to GovernmentLed Execution and Delivery, the meeting convened Permanent Secretaries, policymakers, and technical partners from AGRA focus countries-Ethiopia, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Zambia, Tanzania, Mozambique, Malawi, Mali, Burkina Faso, Senegal, and Sierra Leone. Somalia also participated as a non AGRA focus member country, underscoring the breadth of shared challenges and the growing continental momentum to advance agrifood systems through coordinated action.

Speaking while opening the forum, Alice Ruhweza, President of AGRA, emphasized that Africa’s agricultural challenge is no longer about policy design, but about delivery.

“The problem is not policy or strategy. It is policy and strategy implementation. Too often, well designed policies and strategies lack the financing, coordination, and institutional alignment required to translate them into tangible outcomes for farmers,” she said.

With AGRA marking its 20th anniversary this year, Ruhweza highlighted the organization’s evolving role as a partner in enabling execution at scale, rather than as a driver of policy reform and strategy development and called for stronger alignment between financing and policy ambition, improved institutional coordination, and deeper engagement with technical partners, the private sector, and regional actors.

The retreat came at a critical moment when African countries are working to operationalize the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) 2026–2035 framework, which prioritizes food security, resilience, and inclusive agrifood system transformation.

In his opening address, Dr. Kipronoh Ronoh, Principal Secretary in Kenya’s State Department for Agriculture, reaffirmed his country’s commitment to agricultural transformation through governmentled execution and strong partnerships.

He highlighted Kenya’s Agriculture Sector Transformation and Growth Strategy (ASTGS) as a blueprint for building a modern, commercial agricultural sector, with priorities including farmerfacing SMEs, irrigation expansion, access to quality inputs, value addition, and climate resilience.

“We are deliberately aligning Kenya’s agricultural transformation with the continent’s ‘BigBets’ by investing in climateresilient crops, restoring soil health, expanding irrigation in our most vulnerable regions, strengthening livestock systems, and harnessing digital technologies to put better decisions directly in the hands of farmers.”

Dr. Chizumba Shepande, Director, Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture, Zambia, underscored the central role of senior technocrats in delivery:

“As Permanent Secretaries, we sit at the centre of execution. Our responsibility is to ensure that national strategies are not only technically sound, but fully operationalized through coordinated institutions, aligned budgets, and clear accountability frameworks that deliver results on the ground.”

Ousman Mbaye, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Senegal, emphasized the importance of collective learning and collaboration across countries:

“What is emerging across the continent is a shared recognition that no country needs to solve these challenges alone. Platforms like this retreat enable us to learn from each other, adapt proven approaches, and accelerate implementation at scale”, he said adding that shifting decisively from strategy to delivery while strengthening partnerships across government, the private sector, and development actors will enable the continent to unlock the full potential of its farmers and food systems.

Across the discussions, speakers stressed that underinvestment in agrifood systems represents a major missed economic opportunity for African economies, limiting job creation, trade, and resilience. The twoday retreat was designed to foster candid dialogue, crosscountry learning, and practical solutions to accelerate implementation with participants identifying key bottlenecks in financing, coordination, and delivery systems, while clarifying the role of partnerships in bridging these gaps.

The meeting also reinforced a shared vision for Africa’s food future; one that goes beyond production to building resilient, marketdriven systems that create jobs, empower youth, and improve livelihoods.

It concluded with reflections grounded in national priorities and country experiences and emphasized strengthening delivery systems through mechanisms such as Agricultural Transformation Offices, improved data use and coordination, and the scaling of practical approaches including mechanization, seed systems, and value chain integration.