| Africa's development is inextricably tied to the agricultural transformation required on the continent. This year's 23rd Assembly of AU Heads of State and Government in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, which closed on June 27, made that abundantly clear with a unanimous agreement on the strategies needed to step up agricultural development in Africa.
Championing the call was AU Commission Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, who spelt out strategic directions, including increased public-private investment and partnership, embarking on irrigation projects, increased access to land and agricultural inputs, and applied science and technology to modernize farming as critical orientations to transform agriculture.
Remaining focused on the AU 2014 annual theme of Agriculture and Food Security, Dlamini Zuma reiterated the call for agriculture to be made attractive to the continent's youth, especially through specialized training in agriculture and agro-processing in what she described as the "skills revolution."
She emphasized that in order to enable agricultural transformation to flourish, the environment must be conducive to the process, and this needs conditions of peace and stability, so that people would not be under threat from armed gangs, terrorists, human and arms traffickers and poachers.
Addressing the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, Chairperson of the African Union, and President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, noted that while Africa has achieved numerous positive results in terms of economic growth, there is still need to fast-track economic growth, industrial development and investment and tackle the challenges impeding the acceleration of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) implementation. President Aziz commended efforts such as the Africa 50 Fund and the Africa Agenda 2063, working towards the betterment of the continent.
In light of the current wave of terrorism plaguing Africa, Aziz called for more concerted efforts regarding the operations of the African Mechanism for Peace and Security.
Also speaking at the opening ceremony, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, President of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, reiterated the call for an absolute transformation of agriculture, a sector which accounts for one-third of Africa's GDP and employs about 60 percent of the labour force.
Mbasogo further called for the intensification of investments into priority sectors that would translate into an improved agricultural structure, that would include among others, advanced research and industrialization. He called for the strengthening of the Peace and Security Council and condemned the recent acts of terrorism and conflicts that have rocked some countries on the continent in recent months. | 
