The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) have renewed their partnership by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The agreement, formalized in a signing ceremony on 18 March 2025 in Addis Ababa, aims to drive sustainable agriculture, regional integration, and climate resilience while fostering innovation for economic diversification, environmental sustainability, and inclusive growth across the continent.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, the FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Africa emphasized the importance of the MoU, stating that it comes at a historic juncture where the socio-economic landscape is changing dramatically. The agreement provides an opportunity to rethink support strategies for Member Nations by optimally utilizing assets, collaborating efficiently, and ensuring agrifood system transformation and sustainable development. The representative also noted the numerous opportunities for FAO and ECA to work together toward the shared goal of improving food security and agroeconomic development.
The Deputy Executive Secretary of ECA highlighted the importance of prioritizing collaboration in key areas such as agroecological zones and the climate change-food security interface. He stressed the need for joint engagements on anticipatory actions and better-targeted interventions in climate change to reduce the continent’s vulnerability to climatic shocks.
Both parties agreed that the renewed collaboration will help address critical issues such as access to clean and just energy, regional agricultural value chains, and climate resilience, all of which are vital to supporting Africa’s transformation.
Priority Areas for Collaboration
The renewed MoU outlines several priority areas for collaboration, each aimed at driving Africa’s sustainable development.
In the area of sustainable agriculture and food security, the focus will be on strengthening agro-industrial policies, improving land governance, and promoting innovative financing for agricultural investments. These efforts will prioritize the implementation of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), Post-Malabo, and seek to enhance employment opportunities for women and youth in agribusiness and value chains.
On data, statistics, and innovation, FAO and ECA will support Africa’s Global Strategy for Statistical Development, which includes strengthening the capacity of national and regional statistical agencies. This will enable better monitoring of the agricultural sector and progress on CAADP and Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2, which aims to end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture by 2030.
Regional integration and economic diversification will be key focal points. The partnership will conduct an in-depth analysis of agrifood value chains within the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) framework to identify opportunities and challenges, ensuring informed decision-making for sustainable growth. A key objective will be the harmonization of standards for intra-Africa trade in agricultural goods and services, as well as providing technical support for food commodity exchange platforms to strengthen regional value chains.
The collaboration will also work to expand access to clean energy within agrifood systems, supporting initiatives such as FAO’s Bioenergy Week and clean cooking dialogues. The FAO Energy-Smart Agrifood Systems Programme will play a significant role in these efforts to enhance clean energy and food security.
In addressing climate change, biodiversity, and water resource management, the partnership will promote the blue economy through sustainable fisheries and marine resource management, enhance access to climate finance by supporting policy frameworks that attract investment, and strengthen value chain-based climate resilience by integrating climate-smart agricultural practices across regional supply chains. It will also focus on improving early warning systems, transboundary water resource management, and integrating biodiversity considerations into national and regional agricultural policies.
Charting the Path Ahead
The renewed partnership between FAO and ECA marks a critical step toward achieving Africa’s sustainable and inclusive growth. By focusing on areas such as regional agri-trade integration, climate resilience, and economic diversification, this collaboration has the potential to transform the continent’s agricultural landscape. Both organizations are committed to making this partnership a success through concrete action planning, monitoring, and continued technical engagement.
