Sur ce sujet spécifique sur la conduite à tenir à l’avenir, il est très important de souligner le cumul des acquis existants dans la consolidation des préalables pour davantage d’inclusion genre en faveur de la transformation agricole africaine.
Depuis le début de l'année 2007, les pays WAAPP-1A ont travaillé sur le renforcement de la productivité agricole des racines et des tubercules au Ghana, des céréales résistantes à la sécheresse au Sénégal et du riz au Mali. Dans l'ensemble, WAAPP-1A a réalisé des progrès satisfaisants dans la réalisation de tels objectifs de développement. Tous les treize pays participant au WAAPP-PPAAO dans la CEDEAO ont jusqu'à présent démontré, indépendamment de leurs phases d'exécution (1, 2, 3 et 4), certaines capacités institutionnelles pour relever les défis agricoles les plus importants dans la région. De telles avancées ont conduit à l’émergence de plateformes d'innovation parallèlement aux centres d'excellence, à l’exemple du Centre sur le riz au Mali en guise de centre de référence régionale dans toute la région.
Il convient de noter que, quand bien même que seulement 80 pour cent des objectifs pour le nombre de bénéficiaires et la zone concernée dans le cadre des technologies améliorées ont été atteints en mai 2016, le projet est sur la bonne voie d'atteindre ou même de surpasser ces objectifs.
Les taux d'inclusion genre, à savoir la proportion de femmes impactées dans la plupart des pays, se rapprochent ou dépassent les recommandations du CORAF et pareil en phase de se produire s’agissant de l'inclusion des jeunes ...
Même à un an avant la date initiale de clôture de la phase précédente (Décembre 2012), tous les indicateurs de l'objectif de développement du projet (ODP) furent en bonne voie d’atteinte de leurs objectifs. Plus précisément: (i) les bénéficiaires du projet (180 000 en février 2012) devraient atteindre 275 000 bénéficiaires à la fin du projet et 40% des bénéficiaires devraient être des femmes; (Ii) 17 technologies ont déjà été publiées, ce qui montre une amélioration potentielle du rendement de 20 à 40%; (Iii) environ 100 000 ha (sur les 171 000 ha attendus) sont couverts de technologies améliorées mises à disposition par le biais du projet; Et (iv) les activités d'intégration régionale sont consolidées par le biais du programme d'échange de chercheurs impliquant environ 100 personnes, et suivant l'échange de matériel génétique impliquant plus de 100 cultivars améliorés qui ont traversé les frontières et qui ont fait l’objet de tests et de démonstration dans les pays bénéficiaires.
Pour l'AfDB, les autres donateurs et partenaires institutionnels, il conviendrait de mieux évaluer et tirer parti de l'élan de succès historique déjà existant sur toutes autres réalisations dans le cadre du WAAPP-PPAAO pour concevoir la feuille de route à venir et consolider ces embryons régionaux de potentiel de transformation agricole plaçant la femme africaine au centre. Dans la plupart des cas, sinon dans l'ensemble, l'inclusion des femmes y figure en bonne place car la participation locale de celle-ci à l'ensemble de la chaîne de valeur agricole se traduit par de plus en plus de produits transformés sur le marché avec un niveau de finesse rarement atteint jusqu'ici.
De ce qui precede, il est prudent d’établir que, pour construire à partir de l’existant et des tendances en cours dans les modèles actuels des programmes de développement, la BAD devra reconsidérer les résultats du projet WAAPP-PPAAO pour inspirer leur cadre régional pour les pays de la CEDEAO à collaborer à la mise en œuvre des et des stratégies agricoles régionales pour la génération, la diffusion et l'utilisation de technologies dans les systèmes agricoles locaux.Avec un focus majeur sur la Femme et les Jeunes, ces interventions devraient contribuer durablement à l'augmentation de la transformation agricole et à la croissance économique globale tout en réduisant la pauvreté dans les pays bénéficiaires.
On this specific subject over the road forward, it’s very important to stress the existing accrued achievements in the consolidation of the actual preconditions for more women and gender friendly approaches to African agricultural transformation.
Since inception 2007, the WAAPP-1A countries have been working on strengthening agricultural productivity of root and tuber crops in Ghana, drought-resistant cereals in Senegal and rice in Mali. Overall, WAAPP-1A made satisfactory progress towards achieving its development objectives. All thirteen countries participating in the WAAPP-PPAAO within the ECOWAS have to date demonstrated, irrespective of their component execution phases (1, 2, 3 and 4) some institutional capacity to address utmost agricultural challenges within the region. Such advances have led to innovation platforms alongside centers of excellence as the Rice Center in Mali meant to be the regional reference center throughout the region.
It is worth noting that while only 80 percent of the targets for the number of beneficiaries and the area under improved technologies were reached as of May 2016, the project is on track of reaching or even surpassing such targets.
Women, per say gender inclusion rates in most countries nears or exceed CORAF standards and improving with same prospects in youth inclusion as well…
Even at one year prior to earlier closing date (December 2012), all Project Development Objective indicators are on track of meeting their targets. Specifically: (i) project beneficiaries (180,000 in February 2012) are expected to reach 275,000 beneficiaries at the end of the project, and 40 percent of the beneficiaries are expected to be women; (ii) 17 technologies have already been released, all of which are showing potential yield improvement of 20 to 40 percent ; (iii) about 100,000 ha (out of the 171,000 ha expected) are covered with improved technologies made available through the project; and (iv) regional integration activities are being consolidated through the researchers exchange program which involved around 100 persons and through the exchange of genetic materials involving over 100 improved cultivars that have crossed the borders and are being tested and demonstrated in recipient countries.
For the AfDb and other institutional donors and partners, it would be advisable, to better assess and draw from already existing momentum on each and any other achievement under WAAPP-PPAAO to devise the roadmap ahead and consolidate such regional embryos of agricultural transformation potential. In most cases if not all, Women inclusion is in good standing as local participation in the whole agricultural value chain is evidenced through more and more processed products in the market with a level of finesse rarely achieved hitherto. On that note, it’s safe to assume that, in order to build from precedence and ongoing trends in current development agenda patterns, AfDB will have to reconsider WAAPP-PPAAO project results to inspire their regional framework for ECOWAS countries to collaborate in the implementation of national and regional agricultural strategies for technology generation, dissemination and use in local farming systems. With a major focus on Women and Youth, these interventions are expected to sustainably contribute to increased agricultural transformation and overall economic growth while reducing poverty in beneficiary countries.
Indeed, very much welcome... 
As in most scenarios at community level, when stakeholders gather to dilate on such a sensitive issue as land access it's important to address the intergenerational dimension of land access, use and transfer with the ones who are likely the most skilled within the family, the community, to actually "use" it...
In other words if proper outreach and communication sessions were conducted at every community hub and decisionmaking level, when stakeholders understand the dynamics around land use and allocation for sake of community preservation, access would become less of a concern as long as it can yield to common benefits...
The Bank could help in securing such community settings where stakeholders are explained the basics of community resilience as a whole upon which their survival depends on... Value should be perceived, collective value per say, such that can transcend individualities and gender specific roles to make it a viable option at community level.
Change is sought, expected, and encouraged all over in Africa, at a time when Land Grab has affected nearly 30% of our arable lands... Leadership must step in... and that's the Challenge we expect the Bank to take to help Africa save its lands and community values around gender.
Value added agricultural products in Africa starts with
Submitted by Demba N on Mon, 03/07/2017 - 02:50 Permalink
Value added agricultural products in Africa starts with gender friendly mechanisms...
When you consider these:
All the above, each in respect to their chain of effects, impacting actual productivity and value chain upscaling, limiting smallholders market outcome to the least of their production potential…This, no more no less is what the Bank has to be facing and addressing as the sole endogenous Financial Institution with the edge and leverage it takes, to overhaul development potentials across the regions, with focus to gender friendly policy framework.
In the absence of proper ownership claim expected of regional endogenous institutional organizations, unfortunately we will be witnessing devastating intrusions of foreign direct investment in policy matters affecting our ability to conduct intra trade initiatives in Africa.
Obviously regional trade integration has for so long been a strategic objective in Africa, despite limited successes in circumventing tariffs across regional communities, african domestic markets remain highly fragmented. For the AfDB to capture the full potential of its partner countries, there are a range of non-tariff and regulatory barriers that need to be addressed that are still raising transaction costs and limit the movement of goods, services, people and capital across our borders in Africa. AfDB for example could be a great asset for African countries to serve, direct and leverage the formerly negotiated EPA imposed on by the EU… whilst similar unilateral deals are taking place across the region on a periodic basis, such contribute to disrupting our ability to trade and exchange among Africans and opens easy access channels to European markets with devastating consequences to local food security at large.
Just last month, in Berlin on Monday, 12 June 2017, Chancellor Merkel has invited the heads of state and government of African partner countries to the international G20 Africa Partnership Conference. How great and culturally competent would it be, if such partnership call was convened by a major African organization on more frequent basis…
Nigerian yam although well praised, is being subject to an initial extensive export phase for no less than72 tons of yam to the United Kingdom. Food and Agricultural Organization estimated that Nigeria accounts for 61% of the total yam output in the world, but the tuber has not been exported until lately… Ghana stood to earn $4bn (£3bn) from its yam exports in the next three to four years. Like many other countries in Africa, Senegal with a difficult choice, between relying on the prospect of endogenous financial institutions taking charge, can only be perplexed, on the waiting bench: China pumping $60 billion into African development left Alassane Samba, the former head of Senegal’s Oceanic Research Institute, perplexed enough to put it this way: “It’s hard to say no to China when they are building your roads.”…
Enough of a narrative to justify a renewed interest from the AfDB to capitalize on some sense of patriotic ownership, to spend time and money to build on already existing aggregates of research-based-evidence of our women AgroEntrepreneurs contributions and other actors of the Value Chain in Africa, to internalize the benefits of local financing opportunities, a long term return vehicle of endogenous development in Africa, for Africa, and not ONLY serving the expropriation enterprise of foreign financial interests already land masters on our own backyard.
For our women in the Transformation of Africa’s Agriculture, responsive policy choices are to be taken and properly applied with focus to sound outreach and communication, based on prevalent illiteracy rates within and across our constituents…