East Africa’s Food Security, Trade Goals Slipping Away, IGAD Review Finds
In picture, Dr. Tim Njagi, Africa Network of Agricultural Policy Research Institutes during the event in an hotel in Nairobi.
By Aoma Keziah,
A new report from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has revealed that East African nations are significantly off track in meeting the 2025 Malabo Declaration commitments to end hunger, boost trade, and enhance climate resilience. The Fourth Biennial Review (BR4), released this week in Nairobi, paints a stark picture of declining performance, exacerbated by climate shocks, bureaucratic inertia, and chronic underfunding.
The review, part of the African Union’s Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) accountability framework, assessed six IGAD countries Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, and Uganda against the seven Malabo targets. Its said that none of these nations are on course to achieve their commitments, with the latest data showing a notable regression since the previous review in 2023.
The BR4 report highlights several alarming trends that have stalled progress across the region, including backsliding Performances compared to the third review cycle, overall progress has deteriorated, largely due to climate-related disasters and weak data systems hampering accountability, only three of the six evaluated countries allocated at least 5% of their national budgets to agriculture, falling far short of the 10% Malabo target and with 85% of IGAD’s agriculture still rain-fed, millions of people remain highly susceptible to droughts and floods, intensifying food insecurity.
The report places Kenya, a regional economic powerhouse and home to the thriving “Silicon Savannah” at the center of agricultural reform efforts. Despite its leadership in technological innovation, Kenya grapples with disorganized data systems, inadequate funding, and slow policy implementation.
This report, recommends the accelerating adoption of climate-smart technology, such as drought-resistant crops and AI-powered irrigation systems, modernizing agricultural data collection to improve decision-making and accountability, and strengthening public-private partnerships to address the persistent funding gap.
“Kenya has the potential to lead the way however, failure to act could trigger a ripple effect that worsens the food crisis in neighboring states like Somalia and South Sudan,” said Dr. Tim Njagi, Africa Network of Agricultural Policy Research Institutes
The report also attributes the region’s food security crisis to a perfect storm of factors, including extreme Weather with Ethiopia’s cereal production dropping by 30% since 2023 due to erratic rainfall patterns.
On Conflict and Displacement, the ongoing war in South Sudan has disrupted farming for 60% of its agricultural communities, worsening food shortages, and that Uganda took 14 months to validate its agricultural performance reports, delaying crucial interventions.
Amidst the bleak outlook, the report spotlights Rwanda as an example of what’s possible with strong governance and innovation. The country’s Agricultural Joint Sector Review (JSR) has emerged as a centralized hub for coordinating policymakers, farmers, and NGOs, significantly improving agricultural outcomes.
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The Mt Kenya Times 
