The East African Community (EAC) Secretariat, through its Secretary-General, Hon. Dr. Peter M. Mathuki has endorsed its commitment and support to the COMESA EAC Horticultural Accelerator (CEHA) program. This was revealed when the Alliance for Commodity Trade in Eastern and Southern Africa (ACTESA), Chief Executive Officer, Dr. John Mukuka, and CEHA staff paid a courtesy call on the EAC Secretariat on 25th January 2024.
In his remarks, Hon. Dr. Peter M. Mathuki, recognized the potential impact of the CEHA initiative on the horticulture sector focusing on agricultural development to enhance household food and nutritional security.
The engaging and fruitful discussions were aimed at formalizing collaboration and partnerships toward effective implementation of the CEHA program.
And EAC Deputy Secretary-General of Infrastructure, Productive, Social and Political Sectors, Hon. Andrea Aguer Ariik Maleah, reiterated EAC’s active participation and commitment to provide continued support to CEHA structures both at the national and regional levels.
The EAC leadership further expressed interest in aligning regional efforts and initiatives towards addressing critical issues in the horticulture sector, for increased incomes and employment opportunities, across the COMESA and EAC regions.The meeting unpacked crucial and actionable outcomes, with a spotlight on the EAC assuming the co-chairing responsibilities within the CEHA Board.
The EAC further placed paramount importance within CEHA, on advancing climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies, alongside bolstering efforts to ensure food security within the region. Other highlights of the meeting reflected the importance of establishing a formal communication channel and signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two parties for efficient management of project activities. Meanwhile, CEHA Co-ordinator, Mr. Apollo Owuor, remarked that the partnership between EAC and COMESA is crucial in advancing the CEHA’s aspirations of accelerating the growth of the fruit and vegetable subsector of the COMESA and EAC regions. “We are elated with the positive response from EAC, recognizing that CEHA is a transformative initiative that will ultimately lead to enhanced climate-smart horticultural productivity, value chain development, and economic empowerment in the COMESA and EAC regions” he stated.
Mr. Aime Uwase, EAC Director of Planning, and Mr. John Patrick Mwesigye of the GFA/GIZ were in attendance at the meeting. Others included: ACTESA CEO, Dr. John Mukuka, Mr. Apollo Owuor, CEHA Regional Coordinator, and Ms. Fungwa Kabati, ACTESA Finance and Planning Officer.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Alliance for Commodity Trade in Eastern and Southern Africa (ACTESA), a Specialized Agency of COMESA has since been co-ordinating the COMESA-EAC Horticulture Accelerator (CEHA) following its regional Launch in June 2023. The CEHA was created in 2022 through public and private sector partnerships in better coordination of policy, value chain development programs, financing, Research, and Development (R&D) of the horticulture industry as is also reflected in the EAC’s Fruit and Vegetable Strategy 2021-2031. The initial activities of CEHA are supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), with a total budget of USD5 million, and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) providing a total of GBP500,000.
The CEHA currently focuses on Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda on three horticultural crops, namely avocado, onion, and Irish Potatoes. The CEHA Secretariat will facilitate the modernization of regional horticulture value chains across East Africa, leveraging the comparative advantage, infrastructure, and technology in each country by:
- Co-ordinating investments that are primarily private sector-led into production, processing clusters in support of the EAC, COMESA, and individual country horticulture strategies.
- Facilitating policy and standards improvements to stimulate trade, and market access for multiple regional fruit and vegetable value chains across the region.
- Facilitating access to both working capital and capex finance, as well as to technical assistance, for processors, farmers, and other agribusinesses across the value chain to accelerate growth.
The CEHA Board comprises COMESA as Chair with EAC as vice and or co-Chair with private sector membership of TWIGA Foods, Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporters Association (EHPEA), World Vegetable Centre, Tanzania Horticulture Association (TAHA), Horticulture Association of Uganda (HORTEXA), Trade Mark East Africa, Arch Emerging Markets Partners Ltd. CEHA Development Partners/donor members includes B&MGF, FCDO, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Netherland Government through Stichting Nederlandse Vrijwilligers (SNV) and European Union. Observers include the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Partners in Food Solutions (PFS), and World Bank.
