The food economy - rural and urban, primary, secondary and tertiary, formal and informal - is much larger than the agricultural economy alone and has the potential to create more growth and more jobs. Since it focuses on the domestic market, which has a high growth rate, it is not as volatile and should be the keystone of economic policies. Cross‑cutting and multi-sectoral strategies are needed to enhance the food economy’s potential. Read on

In an op-ed in Jeune Afrique, NEPAD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Assane Mayaki delivered his vision of Africa’s COP22 priorities. According to his analysis, climate change adaptation is the number one priority for Africa. Read on

The COP22 climate change summit, which was hosted on the African continent, was supposed to be the “COP of Action,” by translating the Paris Agreement into practice and by focusing on African priorities. African concerns were placed at the heart of the conference’s debates, but in terms of concrete outcomes, COP22 did not live up to its promise to advance African issues. Read on

African leaders gathered from 10-15 October at the Summit on Maritime Security and safety, held in Lomé within the African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government. Twenty-two African delegations adopted the African Charter on Maritime Security, Safety and Development. The Charter aims to put into place an African strategy for the protection of its seas and oceans, to ensure peace, security and stability, and to make the African maritime space the key driver for sustainable economic development. Read on