The Africa-Europe rural transformation action agenda stems from the executive report of Task Force Rural Africa (TFRA), published in March 2019, which set out strategies and recommendations for the transformation of Africa’s rural areas. Based on the recommendations of the report and the findings of a public consultation, the African Union and the European Union endorsed a political declaration and action agenda at the third AU-EU agriculture ministerial conference in June 2019.
Actions
The action agenda sets out concrete initiatives across nine action areas, all of which target the sustainable strengthening of Africa’s agri-food sector and rural territories.
AU-EU agri-food platform
Ongoing action
- Agri-food platform Ghana
Along with the Department for Rural Economy and Agriculture of the African Union, the Commission set up an agri-food platform in Ghana in June 2020. The main driver was to catalyse more private responsible investment by providing a platform for EU and Ghanaian agribusinesses to collaborate, and a structured dialogue with local/regional government to discuss relevant issues relating to the legal framework, policy, access to credit, and government intervention.
Research and innovation partnership
Ongoing actions
- Support joint research projects pooling together African and European scientists and practitioners around common challenges for sustainable agriculture and food systems under the R&I partnership on food and nutrition security and sustainable agriculture (FNSSA).
- Launch research and innovation (R&I) actions focused on climate and environment under the EU’s Development-Smart Innovation through Research in Agriculture (De SIRA) initiative.
- The Pan-African network for economic analysis of policies (PANAP) brings together stakeholders, researchers, data analysts and policymakers from national and multilateral institutions to explore the role of science in supporting policy decision making in Africa's farming sectors. The network was launched in November 2019. Collaboration has already begun with five countries making use of the EU's Joint Research Centre (JRC) modelling instruments. Activities ahead will be prioritised to put particular emphasis on the setting up of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
- Horizon Europe boosts EU-Africa cooperation in research and innovation.
- As partner, the EU seeks to enhance cooperation with Africa to find locally adapted solutions to challenges that are global in nature, but which often hit Africa hardest. The Horizon Europe work programme 2021-22 and 2023-24 included altogether around 70 topics with a of around €650 million under calls for proposals that were particularly relevant for cooperation with Africa.
- The AU-EU High Level Policy Dialogue (HLPD) on Science, Technology and Innovation formulates long-term research and innovation policy priorities to strengthen Africa-Europe cooperation. The EU-Africa cooperation in research and innovation web page brings together all research and innovation partnerships and opportunities for Africa.
Implementation of the continental strategy for geographical indications in Africa
The African Union’s continental strategy for geographical indications aims to develop rural areas in Africa and preserve heritage and tradition, while helping farmers and producers to better value for their distinctive products. The European Commission supports the strategy notably through the Intellectual Property Rights framework in Africa programme, to which it has contributed €12 million for the 2020-24 period.
Geographical indications (GIs) are one of the focus areas of this programme, which supports priority actions like:
- the maintenance of the Pan-African geographical indications information hub,
- the improvement of legal and institutional framework on geographical indications,
- capacity building, with a manual for geographical indications in Africa and workshops,
- communication activities to raise awareness on the benefits of geographical indications,
- the registration of geographical indications in their country of origin, such as Cabrito de Tete in Mozambique,
- the registration in the EU of geographical indications from Africa, such as Cameroon's Poivre de Penja (PGI),
- the identification of potential geographical indications from Africa through studies on products such as Spirulina from Chad, Poutargue Imraguen or Kilichi du Niger.
At the request of the African Union, the European Commission is also supporting the evaluation of the African Union's strategy for geographical indications, in view of its possible prolongation.
Strengthening African farmers’ organisations
Ongoing actions
- African-European farmers’ exchange programme
As part of the partnership, a multiannual EU cooperation programme with African farmers’ organisations (FO4ACP) has been launched. The programme will focus on improving the governance of organisations, supporting farmers’ integration into value chains, and strengthening their influence on policies. Smallholder farmers will be given particular attention in the programme. In March 2021, the action Farmers' Organizations for Africa, Caribbean and Pacific was launched in this context with the aim of helping small-scale farmers to overcome constraints and fully benefit from their activities.
A report on key findings and lessons learned from the FO4ACP Programme has been published. Among others, the programme foresees an exchange programme involving African and European farmers to enhance skills and expand knowledge through interactions, seminars, and training.
- Mobility scheme between African and European VET systems
The AU and EU are cooperating on the OVERSTEP project, a joint alliance to develop a mobility scheme and share best practices for vocational education and training (VET) systems in Africa. The project focuses on the areas of food processing, agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary science, as well as tourism and hotel services. Through the OVERSTEP project, the AU and EU aim to improve the professional development, skills, and employability of teachers and managers.
