A public private partnership in ten African countries has created more than 37,000 jobs, while also providing three million smallholder farmers with access to services, sourcing, production contracts or training.
The New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition (New Alliance) is a partnership that brings together the capacities and interests of diverse stakeholders, including African governments and institutions, the private sector, civil society, donors, and other development partners such as research institutions, to facilitate inclusive, agriculture-led growth in Africa and remedy key constraints to private investment and increased smallholder productivity and market access.
The New Alliance was launched during the 2012 G8 Summit in the United States to reaffirm continued donor commitment to reducing poverty and hunger and to leverage private investment to support development goals. The New Alliance created a shared commitment to achieve inclusive, agriculture-led growth and raise 50 million people out of poverty over the next 10 years.
Since launching in 2012, the New Alliance has grown from three to 10 African countries, and more than 200 African and international companies have joined, investing more than $10 billion in African agriculture, $1.1 billion of which was distributed in 2013.
Begun with commitments from the Governments of Ethiopia, Ghana, and Tanzania, the New Alliance has grown to 10 African countries, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Senegal. Key to its success is strong commitment and implementation at the country level.
African governments have advanced or completed 95% of policy commitments scheduled for completion by mid-2014 and development partners have disbursed $21 billion, or 72% of expected funding to date.
“African leaders have firmly put agriculture at the top of national development agendas and are prepared to lead the way on a sure path to development and prosperity for their people,” said African Union Chairperson, H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.
The New Alliance supports the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) and contributes to the goals included in the recent Malabo Declaration, specifically to halve poverty and end hunger in Africa by 2025. The New Alliance aims to help lift 50 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa out of poverty by 2022 through innovative partnerships with numerous stakeholder groups.
“ … an increased investment of the private sector in agriculture in Malawi will create vast opportunities for the smallholder farmers to access markets, credits, extension services, and other improved technologies for the growth of the sector. As civil society, we will provide the space for dialogue as we implement this initiative to ensure an inclusive and responsible private sector investment,” said Tamani Nkhono-Mvula, National Director, Civil Society Agriculture Network, Malawi.
While increased public sector resources have positively affected overall trends in poverty and hunger in Africa, they have not sufficiently leveraged private sector investments to effectively transform and sustain agriculture-based economies. Targeted responsible investment from the private sector, both domestic and international, including from smallholder farmers themselves, is needed to realize Africa’s potential for agricultural transformation.
The New Alliance embodies a new model for development, consistent with the core principles of country ownership and inclusive partnership set forth in the Busan Partnership Agreement.
Poverty is a major social and economic challenge across the globe and ending it is a shared commitment of the global community. For the 70% of the world’s poor who live in rural areas, a majority rely on agriculture for their livelihoods. Due to this and other factors, growth in the agriculture sector is, on average, at least twice as effective at reducing poverty as growth in other sectors. Growth in agriculture and agribusiness also presents an enormous opportunity for investment, currently accounting for nearly half of African gross domestic product with the possibility of growing to a $1 trillion industry in Africa by 2030.
Recognizing the importance of partnership, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission said, “We will only achieve success by working in partnership with the global community to mobilize and strategically channel investments into this critical sector. The New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition is an example of how partners are supporting our development objectives and aligning with CAADP priorities.”
The New Alliance Progress Report provides a comprehensive overview of the initiative and its results to date and would be an excellent source of information for the case study. It is available at http://www.new-alliance.org or in hard copy.