Food Security: ActionAid asks media to beam searchlight on peer review

The ActionAid Nigeria (AAN) has urged the media to project the third biennial review (BR-3) accountability process to help measure progress of the comprehensive African Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) implementation among all the African countries.

The International Project Manager, Public Finance for Agriculture, AAN, Ms. Constance Okeke, made the call on Wednesday in Abuja at the African Union (AU) Summit BR engagement meeting.

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The session titled, “Strengthening Accountability and Utilization of Biennial Review Results: The Role of the Media and Non-State Actors” is a side event ahead of the 35th ordinary Session of the AU Assembly (Heads of State and Government Session) later in February.

Okeke said it became necessary because the media needs to tell the world why it is important to focus on Agriculture by putting more resources and ensuring the continent have workable policies for food security.

She said, “The idea of having this event is to engage our partners which is the media to ensure that one of the primary key holders in the agriculture development which is the media is at the forefront of these issues, which will help push information accurately, push accountability processes across the board so that we all have the shared prosperity and improved livelihood.

“The idea of bringing everybody is to have uniformed information among all the Heads of State and Government Session and then be prepared to engage the report once it is released next week.”

She said that the AAN is set to submit the review at the 35th ordinary Session of the AU Assembly (Heads of State and Government Session) in February 2022.

She explained that in every two years, a review is done to see how this program is been implemented and evaluated.

She said, “And countries generate data and submit to the regional economic communities who in turn submit to the African Union and it is analysed and prepared as a form of report to heads of states. So, during their summit at the beginning of the year this report is released to them.

“This is the third Biennial review, it started in 2017 with the first report released in 2018 summit and the second BR for 2019 and submitted at the African Heads of State summit 2020.”