AU pushes Climate-smart Irrigation to Deliver Kampala Agenda Ambitions

November 15, 2026 in Land & Agriculture by Editor

The African Union is pushing for increased irrigation investment under the CAADP Kampala Agenda, seeking to strengthen food security, improve agricultural productivity and build climate resilience across the continent.

 

The African Union is seeking to accelerate irrigation development across the continent as governments confront declining agricultural productivity, growing food insecurity and mounting pressure from climate change.

The push was the focus of a four-day knowledge exchange and experience-sharing workshop held in Accra from November 3 to 6, bringing together Directors and Commissioners responsible for irrigation from 26 African Union Member States, alongside agricultural water management experts and representatives of development institutions.

Organised by the African Union Semi-Arid Food Grains Research and Development (AU-SAFGRAD) in collaboration with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation’s Regional Office for Africa (FAO-RAF), the workshop formed part of efforts to domesticate the African Union Framework for Irrigation Development and Agricultural Water Management (IDAWM) Practices in Africa.

The initiative reflects growing recognition that Africa’s reliance on rain-fed agriculture leaves food production particularly exposed to increasingly unpredictable rainfall, prolonged dry spells and other climate shocks. Expanding irrigation is therefore seen as an important means of stabilising agricultural output, improving productivity and reducing the continent’s substantial food import bill.

Participants used the meeting to share and compare national experiences in implementing irrigation programmes, with particular attention to financing, the operation and maintenance of irrigation schemes and projects, and information management to support planning and decision-making.

The discussions also sought to strengthen institutional coordination within Member States and promote collaboration among governments, development partners and technical institutions involved in agricultural water management.

Opening the workshop, AU-SAFGRAD Coordinator Dr Ahmed Elmekass called for accelerated investment in irrigation agriculture, describing it as a climate-smart solution and an important enabler of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Kampala Agenda.

The Kampala Agenda is a flagship initiative under the African Union’s Agenda 2063, which provides the continent’s long-term framework for economic and social transformation.

Dr Elmekass emphasised the need for Member States to strengthen institutional and cross-sectoral coordination at national level, while reinforcing South-South cooperation to advance shared development priorities.

The African Union Commission was represented by Dr Elmekass and Dr Mure Agbonlahor.

The opening ceremony also brought together representatives of FAO, the League of Arab States’ Fund for Technical Assistance to African Countries (AFTAAC) and the Government of Ghana.

FAO Deputy Regional Representative and Ghana Country Representative Meshack Malo was represented by Samy Gaiji, Senior Regional Operations and Partnership Officer, while AFTAAC was represented by Minister Plenipotentiary Sherine Emam. Ghana was represented by Ing. Samuel Eric Adu-Dankwa, Chief Executive of the Ghana Irrigation Development Authority.

Other participating institutions included the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), the World Bank, the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID), Japan’s Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).

The participation of these institutions underscores the importance of partnerships in mobilising the technical expertise, financing and institutional capacity required to expand irrigation infrastructure and make existing schemes more sustainable.