Government wants to strengthen national production and increase exports of finished products

The Angolan government intends to increase the transformation of raw materials into finished products for international markets, in order to increase the income of national production and to continuously integrate informal activity into the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) revenues.

This position was expressed to the press by Minister Isaac dos Anjos, on the sidelines of the opening of the meeting of Ministers of Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment of the member states of the African Union, which began yesterday in Kampala, the capital of the Republic of Uganda.

When asked about the growth of around five percent expected last year, the official said that in the proposal to be presented during the Extraordinary Summit, Angola will suggest a time horizon for the next five years in favor of changing the current narrative.

“We have to be able to understand what is the minimum amount that families have to generate to combat poverty. Otherwise, we will continue to make projections to maintain the status quo, and that should not be the case,” said the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry.

Speaking to journalists before his speech at the ministerial meeting, Isaac dos Anjos said, as an example, that the discussion is not about how much is spent on importing corn, but rather how much is spent on making fertilizers available to farmers.

“Well, if fertilizers are not made available to farmers, we will not have corn,” he emphasized, adding that, instead of engaging in these academic discussions, countries should move on to practical issues, as it is more useful. This framework responds to the needs of African agendas, Isaac dos Anjos emphasized.

The minister added: “Let’s see if we can change this narrative, so that what is not recognized academically becomes understood and that a solution needs to be found.” Thus, he explained, “the fact that the informal economy is not registered does not mean that it does not exist, it is there, very present.”

It should be noted that the Kampala Summit is considering the Draft Strategy and Ten-Year Action Plan of the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) Post-Malabo 2026-2035, the Statute of the Africa Food Security Agency, and the report on the selection of the African Union Centres of Excellence for Research and Training in Fisheries, Aquaculture, Aquatic Biodiversity Conservation and Ecosystem Management.

On the occasion, the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry said that Angola will ratify the instruments under analysis, which aim to strengthen the lines and pillars based on the Strategy for the Development of Agriculture in Africa.

In essence, he said, the Member States were expected to achieve annual growth of 6 percent, and the allocation of 10 percent of budget resources to the Agriculture sector. The different pillars were assessed by scoring, on a scale ranging from 0 to 10, including the sectors and the respective countries. Combating poverty
In addition, Isaac dos Anjos highlighted, among the challenges, the issue of reforming the agricultural sector, gender balance, and the industrialization of products so that they are not exported merely as unfinished raw materials, but rather transformed, in order to make agriculture the main vehicle for combating poverty and social inequality in rural areas.

Josefa Sacko says the Program will generate millions of jobs

The African Union Commissioner for Agriculture, Josefa Sacko, highlighted, at the Extraordinary Summit in Kampala, that the CAADP Strategy and Action Plan, for a ten-year period, aims to increase food production, expand added value, boost intra-African trade and create millions of jobs for the continent's youth and women.

Speaking at the opening of the meeting of Ministers of Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment of the African Union Member States, Josefa Sacko added that the Strategy also aims to build inclusive agri-food value chains and build resilient agri-food systems.

These systems must also be sustainable and resistant to shocks and risk factors, now and in the future. She also added that they must strengthen governance, through data-based decision-making and the accountability of all stakeholders. For the Angolan ambassador serving in the African Union, it is through collective efforts that the transformative change that the continent seeks in the agriculture sector will be achieved.

Regarding the Agenda of the Post-Malabo African Agriculture Development Programme, at the meeting attended by the Angolan ambassadors to Ethiopia, Miguel Bembe, and Syanga Abílio, who left office in Uganda, Josefa Sacko stressed that a strategy has been developed that responds to the challenges and opportunities that Africa's agri-food systems face.

The diplomat highlighted, in this regard, that the conception and preparation of the process resulted in a remarkable collaboration between several actors, including regional economic communities, groups of technicians, specialists and researchers from African centers of excellence, farmer organizations, as well as development partners and parliamentarians.

Source: https://www.jornaldeangola.ao/#/noticias/