The Africa Union Semi-Arid Food Grains research and development (AU-SAFGRAD), in collaboration with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization regional Office for Africa (FAO-RAF), organized a 4-day Knowledge exchange and experience-sharing workshop. Directors and Commissioners of Irrigation from twenty-six (26) AU Member States attended the workshop. Other delegates included irrigation and agricultural water management experts and representatives from FAO, the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), the World Bank (WB), the League of Arab States’ Fund for Technical Assistance to African Countries (AFTAAC), the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID), Japan’s Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) and the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). The Workshop was organized as part of the domestication activity of the AU’s Framework for Irrigation Development and Agricultural Water Management (IDAWM) Practices in Africa. Against the backdrop of low agricultural productivity and intensification, rising food and nutritional insecurity, increasing climate shocks, and a high food import bill. It is imperative to scale irrigation as a sustainable climate-smart agricultural technology and solution to reverse these negative trends. The workshop provided a platform for senior technical leaders (Directors, Commissioners and Permanent Secretaries) of Ministries, Departments and Agencies responsible for Irrigation development in MS to learn, share and compare implementation experiences, and strengthen collaboration in financing, operation and maintenance and information management of irrigation schemes and projects.
The African Union Commission was represented by Dr Ahmed Elmekass and Dr Mure Agbonlahor. The opening ceremony of the workshop was graced by the FAO (RAF) Deputy Regional Representative and country representative (Ghana), Mr Meshack Malo, who was represented by Mr Samy Gaiji (Senior Regional Operation and Partnership Officer) and Ms Sherine Emam, Minister Plenipotentiary of the Arab Fund for Technical Assistance to African Countries (AFTAAC). The government of Ghana was represented by Ing. Samuel Eric Adu-Dankwa (Chief Executive, Ghana Irrigation Development Authority, GIDA). In his opening remarks, Dr Ahmed Elmekass (Coordinator, AU-SAFGRAD) harped on the importance of accelerating investments in irrigation agriculture as a climate-smart solution and an enabler in achieving key strategic objectives of the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Program (CAADP) Kampala Agenda, a flagship program of the African Union’s Agenda 2063. He stressed the need for Member States to strengthen institutional and cross-sectoral coordination at the national level and reinforce South-South collaboration to achieve the broad development goals of the Agenda 2063.