Kenyan President Ruto Attends African Union Agriculture Summit In Kampala

     By Lisbeth Micheni, Kenya

Kenyan President William Ruto, has traveled to Kampala, Uganda to participate in a high-level African Union (AU) gathering on agriculture.

The one-day event, dubbed the AU Extraordinary Summit on Agriculture, aims to evaluate advancements under the post-Malabo Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP).

This initiative forms a critical component of Agenda 2063, which envisions eradicating poverty and hunger through agricultural innovation and growth.

Discussions at the summit will focus on reviewing progress toward CAADP objectives and adopting the Kampala Declaration, a strategic roadmap for transforming agricultural and food systems across Africa from 2026 to 2035.

The outcomes are anticipated to influence policies that promote economic development and ensure food security.

State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohamed remarked that President Ruto would use the platform to highlight Kenya’s achievements in agriculture.

“Kenya has made significant strides in food security, poverty alleviation, job creation, and sustainable development under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda and Vision 2030,” he stated on Saturday.

On the sidelines of the summit, President Ruto plans to hold bilateral discussions with Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni and other regional leaders.

The talks aim to foster collaboration on mutual interests and advance AU institutional reforms—a cause that President Ruto has been championing.

Later this year, Ruto is set to deliver his first progress report on these reforms.

This gathering emphasizes the continent’s collective effort toward agricultural progress and sustainable development.

Earlier in the week, Ruto returned from Ghana, where he attended the swearing-in of Ghanaian President John Mahama at Black Star Square in Accra.

In Ghana, Ruto engaged in discussions with Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé on AU reforms.

He also met Equatorial Guinea’s Vice President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue and held a conversation with the UK’s Minister for Africa, Lord Collins, during Mahama’s inauguration.

Ruto also consulted with Wamkele Mene, secretary-general of the African Continental Free Trade Area, and secured the backing of Botswana’s President Duma Boko for Raila Odinga’s candidacy for the African Union Commission chairmanship.

This summit reflects Africa’s dedication to revolutionizing its agricultural sector for a prosperous future.