Agricultural Transformation in Africa: Lessons learnt from the Domestication of the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Processes in Lesotho

Perennial challenges of food insecurity, poverty, malnutrition and nutritional insecurity plague the African continent. Global development agencies have placed agriculture at the top of Africa continent development agenda as a sector with great potential in addressing Africa's perennial challenges. The African Heads of State through the African Union Commission (AUC) embarked on an ambitious plan; the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) to transform the fortunes of the agricultural sector on the continent. The African Heads of State and Government made commitments under the Maputo Declaration (2003) and Malabo Declaration (2014) whose implementation would be through CAADP. The AUC implemented CAADP through Africa Union Development Agency (AUDA) formerly New Partnership for Africa Development (NEPAD). Most countries encountered challenges in the implementation of CAADP that made it necessary for AUC through AUDA to provide policy support in the Domestication of CAADP. The AUC/AUDA provided policy support to eight (8) countries that is Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Gabon, Lesotho, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. This paper looks at the lessons learnt from the policy support in domestication of CAADP in Lesotho. The study collected qualitative data through interviews, stakeholder consultation workshops, focus groups and questionnaires. The study analysed the data utilising thematic analysis and the study drew conclusions from the findings and consequently recommendations. The main conclusions of the study were that there is need for high level political ownership of NAIP development process if the process will likely have a chance of success, stakeholder participation is of paramount importance, therefore those leading the process must ensure inclusivity; a NAIP must be evidence based and it is important to conduct analytical work to inform the NAIP development process; good coordination during implementation will eliminate duplication of efforts, governments need to harness domestic resources to finance NAIP implementation to avoid over dependance on donor funds and it was evident that technical assistance helps improve capacity to develop Malabo complaint NAIPs. The main recommendations of the study include that high level decision makers need to be engaged in the NAIP development process right at the beginning for them to support and ensure high level political ownership; government needs to increase budgetary resources to the agriculture sector to avoid misconception that donors must fund implementation of NAIP; countries must strive to improve data collection and management systems which will improve and influence the analytical work that forms part of NAIP formulation; FAO must continue to provide technical assistance to governments in partnership with AUC/AUDA for successful development of Malabo complaint NAIPs on the continent