Leadership and Performance

This chapter considers the role of leadership in Africa's agricultural and economic development. At the beginning of the millennium, a series of developments on the continent created the conditions for the establishment of real African leadership. The agenda for the agricultural sector was articulated in the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), a continent-wide framework for agriculture-led growth and development with clear targets. However, there are risks of policy reversal. Mutual accountability processes are crucial to increasing cooperation and coordinating action among multiple stakeholders—for example, governments, farmers, input suppliers, processors, and donors—in solving issues that no single group can address alone. Such review and dialogue platforms are all-important building blocks for more effective African leadership and improved policy processes and outcomes in the future.