Botswana has been selected as one of five African countries to participate in the African Union–Germany Agricultural Policy Dialogue, a continent-wide programme designed to strengthen agrifood systems transformation across AU member states.
A team of African Union officials and German consultants visited Botswana recently to hold stakeholder exchanges and a workshop in close cooperation with the Ministry of Lands and Agriculture. The engagements focused on defining jointly agreed policy and programme opportunities, supporting CAADP domestication and national policy alignment, strengthening agrifood system governance mechanisms and exploring Botswana-Germany agribusiness exchange opportunities.
The programme is implemented by the AU Commission’s Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment, with funding from the German Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity. It supports the Kampala CAADP Ten-Year Strategy and Action Plan 2026–2035, the Africa Common Position on Food Systems and the CAADP Kampala Declaration.
Botswana joins Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, and Mauritania as the five pre-selected focus countries, each representing a distinct geographic region of the continent. Follow-up engagements are expected to continue over the long term, with specific opportunities identified for further exploration, including climate-resilient crops, horticulture, controlled-environment agriculture, and diversification of livestock markets, areas where German technical expertise and funding could meaningfully accelerate Botswana’s agricultural agenda.
