CCARDESA hosts a virtual event on milestone achievements under the APPSA programme
The Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA) hosted a virtual event on the 28th of October 2021 to take stock of milestone achievements under the Agricultural Productivity Programme for Southern Africa (APPSA) since its inception. The event, which was officially opened by the Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Malawi, Honourable Lobin Lowe, was aimed at sensitising SADC Member States of the existence of Regional Centres of Leadership (RCoLs) established under APPSA, their roles in stimulating agricultural productivity in the region, and the need to establish more RCoLs covering other key commodities of regional importance.
The event was attended by over 70 delegates, including Principal Secretaries from Ministries responsible for Agriculture and food security, fisheries and aquaculture, Directors of Agricultural Research, Senior Government officials, SADC FANR, World Bank officials, Researchers, APPSA family, private sector, CCARDESA Secretariat and the media.
The implementation of APPSA is based on partnerships and collaboration among SADC countries. Each country under APPSA establishes an RCoL in its respective commodity area that distinguishes it as a leader in the region and beyond. So far, Zambia has established an RCoL in legume-based farming systems, Malawi in maize- based farming systems and Mozambique in rice-based farming systems. In the current phase, Angola and Lesotho are establishing RCoLs in Cassava and Horticulture-based farming systems, respectively. The benefits from these facilities are expected to spill over to other countries within the region and beyond.
According to the Minister, APPSA has done a lot since inception. However, to improve its impact and effectiveness more Regional Centres of Leadership need to be established in other commodities of regional importance. “Countries that are currently not part of APPSA, are urged to take the opportunity today to appreciate the work done by existing Regional Centres of Leadership established through the APPSA programme. Use this rare opportunity to identify possible areas for collaboration and partnership in Agricultural Research for Development”, alluded the Honourable Minister when making his opening remarks.
APPSA is a World Bank-funded initiative and CCARDESA has been facilitating its implementation since inception. The programme started with three countries (Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia) since 2013 (First Phase) and expanded to Angola and Lesotho in 2019 (Second Phase). Its main thrust is to improve agricultural technology generation and dissemination within and among participating countries; building capacity within national Research and Development (R&D) systems; and enhancing regional collaboration in agricultural research and development. During the first phase of project implementation, 160 Agricultural Research for Development (AR4D) technologies were generated and 301 disseminated and RCoLs were established in each of the participating countries.
For Dr Cliff Sibusiso Dlamini, CCARDESA Executive Director, the design of APPSA is based on the premise that a regional approach to technology generation and dissemination is more effective and strategic than efforts of an individual country. “Our wish as CCARDESA is to see the SADC region establishing more RCoLs and diversifying the focus to other commodities of regional importance, including livestock, shared Dr Dlamini in his remarks.
The virtual event on APPSA, was to showcase the achievements made by the first three countries in the areas of agricultural research and development; to demonstrate the roles of the RCoLs and how they can service the needs of SADC region; to enhance collaboration and partnerships in AR4D amongst the SADC Member States; and to share information to countries aspiring to join the APPSA family and participate in establishing RCoLs in other commodities of regional importance.
The World Bank led a session on the process aspiring countries are expected to follow if they intend to join APPSA. The presentation also touched on project funding portfolios country eligibility to access funds from the Bank as well as areas of focus and interest. Since 2013, APPSA has invested a total of US$140 million – the largest share in agricultural R&D by far in the SADC region. Currently, APPSA is the only ongoing regional programme focused on agricultural productivity in the continent.
Evidence of achievements was shared through pre-recorded videos from Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia in which key players such as Permanent Secretaries, Research Directors, Researchers, Partners and Beneficiaries voiced-out their perceptions on project accomplishments in their respective countries. This was immediately followed by a panel discussion featuring three panellists (Dr Tenyson Mzengeza from Malawi, Dr Olga Fefetine from Mozambique and Dr Dickson Ng’uni from Zambia). In their deliberations, panellists were unanimous on the positive impact of the project on improving country research capacity including technology generation and dissemination as well as infrastructure, equipment and training of staff.
Click on the name of the country below to watch videos on respective milestone achievements:
