Building capacities for evidence and outcome-based food policy planning and implementation

The Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) is an Africawide framework for revitalizing agriculture and rural development in order to accelerate economic growth and progress toward poverty reduction and food and nutrition security. This study reviews CAADP and its strategic objectives, key players, implementation modalities, and approach to ensuring evidence and outcome-based policy planning and implementation. The study also lays out CAADP’s common analytical framework at the country level and shares economic modeling results from member countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in which analysis was conducted to examine agricultural growth and investment options for meeting CAADP growth and expenditure targets and the Millennium Development Goal target of halving poverty. Finally, the paper discusses CAADP’s review and dialogue mechanisms and knowledge support systems that have been put in place to facilitate benchmarking, mutual learning, and capacity strengthening that will improve agricultural policy, program design, and implementation.CAADP, ECOWAS, growth options, MDG 1, Poverty reduction, public expenditure,

Africa in world agricultural trade: Participation in global value chains

PRIFPRI4; AGRODEP; ReSAKSS; 3 Building Inclusive and Efficient Markets, Trade Systems, and Food IndustryMTID; AF

The West African trade outlook: Business-as-usual compared with alternative options

Chapter 7, by Sunday Pierre Odjo and Ousmane Badiane, focuses on the outlook for expanding intra-regional trade within West Africa, the focus region of this issue, and the potential effects of expanded trade on regional food markets. The chapter reviews recent trends in intra-regional trade and examines the possibilities for increased regional trade to reduce food price volatility. The study then evaluates the scope for increasing trade within the region. A simulation model is used to examine the effects of alternative policy scenarios on regional trade and on the stability of regional food markets.Non-PRIFPRI1; IFPRI4AF

Africa in global agricultural trade

The objective of this chapter is to provide an overview of Africa’s trade structure and trade policy. We first analyze recent performance in different markets and identify changes in the composition and direction of trade. Second, we examine both tariffs and nontariff measures faced by African agricultural exporters, using several sources of data for trade barriers. Our main findings show that, while agricultural productivity is low, the European Union remains the primary destination for agricultural exports, although its share is constantly decreasing. At the product level, the top 10 agricultural export products represent 39 percent of Africa’s agricultural exports and include sesame seeds, black tea, cocoa paste, and fresh grapes. In terms of trade barriers, despite low tariffs faced by African economies, they are facing several nontariff measures (NTMs) ranging from sanitary and phytosanitary measures to conformity assessment and domestic support in other countries. Indeed, and in particular for agriculture products, unfair competition resulting from the domestic support in other countries affects the competitiveness of African countries’ exports.PRIFPRI4AF

Overview and recent challenges

This is the sixth Africa Agriculture Trade Monitor (AATM), an annual flagship publication of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and AKADEMIYA2063. The AATM provides an overview of trade in agriculture in Africa, including analysis of short- and long-term trends and drivers behind Africa’s global trade, intra-African trade, and trade within Africa’s regional economic communities. The AATM is supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The six chapters of this 2023 AATM report are as follows.PRIFPRI2; ReSAKSS; AGRODEP; Africa Regional Integration and the AfCFTA; CRP2Markets, Trade, and Institutions (MTI); Food and Nutrition Polic

Competitiveness of African agricultural exports

Chapter 4, by Sunday Pierre Odjo and Ousmane Badiane, presents a detailed analysis of the competitiveness of African agricultural exports in global and regional markets. The chapter aims to shed light on the factors behind recent improvements in trade performance in order to further accelerate gains and reduce trade deficits. The study ranks countries and commodities according to their competitiveness in export markets at the global, continental, and REC levels. The chapter then summarizes an econometric analysis of the drivers of changes in competitiveness at different levels, and presents recommendations for further improving competitiveness.Non-PRIFPRI1; IFPRI4AF

Intra-African trade integration

Regional integration arrangements have proliferated across Africa over the last 40 years. The most clearly stated objective of this quest for integration is to expand intraregional trade, as it is believed that the harmonization of regulations and policies will help reduce trade costs and facilitate economies of scale. This trend is now being accelerated as African policy makers are pushing for broader integration to realize the long-held desire for pan-African unity in the form of a continental free trade area. This chapter explores how effective regional trade arrangements (RTAs) have been in promoting intraregional trade in Africa. To do this we examine several indicators, since one single indicator cannot capture the multiple dimensions and determinants of trade integration (Bouët, Cosnard, and Laborde 2017).PRIFPRI1; ReSAKSS; AGRODEPAFR; MTI

Africa agriculture trade monitor 2023

The 2023 Africa Agriculture Trade Monitor, a flagship publication of AKADEMIYA2063 and the International Food Policy Research Institute, provides an overview of trade in agriculture in Africa, including analysis of short- and long-term trends and drivers behind Africa’s global trade, intra-African trade, and trade within Africa’s regional economic communities. The 2023 report highlights the growing treat of climate change to trade; looks closely at the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on food security and poverty; draws on the report’s robust trade database to analyze African agrifood trade and nutrition; examines the types of trade agreements that successfully boost trade, and the implications for the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement; and includes focused chapters on the competitiveness of cotton value chains in Africa and world trade and on trade integration in Economic Community of Central African States.PRIFPRI2; ReSAKSS; AGRODEP; Africa Regional Integration and the AfCFTA; CRP2Markets, Trade, and Institutions (MTI); Food and Nutrition Polic

Summary and conclusions

Against the background of worldwide trade disruptions and climate change impacts, the 2023 Africa Agriculture Trade Monitor explores recent trends and patterns in Africa’s global and regional agricultural trade. Like the preceding editions, the report uses a database that corrects for discrepancies in trade flow values as reported by importing and exporting countries. This section summarizes the key findings discussed in the report’s six chapters and related policy implications for successful implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement.PRIFPRI2; ReSAKSS; AGRODEP; Africa Regional Integration and the AfCFTA; CRP2Markets, Trade, and Institutions (MTI); Food and Nutrition Polic