African Union Commission Chairperson Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has urged the NEPAD Agency to develop concrete plans on how it is going to ensure that it has a tangible and meaningful impact on Agriculture in Africa in 2014.

The Chairperson was speaking during a meeting with staff at the Agency.

Dr Dlamini-Zuma in reference to her email from 2063, an aspirational message on a developed and self-sustaining continent in fifty years, which she read out at the recent AU Summit, said that the billions of Dollars that African countries are spending in consuming what they do the not grow, must be reduced. She said that the saved resources can be channelled to areas like education, infrastructure and other developmental needs.

“The NEPAD Agency is the implementation arm of the African Union Commission. If we want the Year of Agriculture and Food Security to have a long-term impact, the Agency needs to have focused and practical plans that will yield results.” said Dr Dlamini-Zuma.

NEPAD CEO Dr Ibrahim Mayaki said that there was a good spirit of transformation at the African Union and NEPAD should be guided by that perspective.

The AUC Chair interacted with staff on their various programme activities and laid emphasis on priorities that will address the  vast coastal and aquatic farming which Africa is endowed with, infrastructural related agriculture, irrigation and the empowerment of women and small scale farmers.

She promised to return to the Agency at the beginning of April to follow up on some of the plans discussed and to engage on the broader agenda.