The Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) is asking member states including Kenya to increase absorption rate of agriculture funds.
IGAD’s food systems Programme Coordinator Senait Regassa says, agriculture funds utilization has been hampered by conflicts in the region that have also affected the food supply chain, increasing the region’s food import bill.
In the 2025 /26 budget, the National Treasury has allocated the agriculture sector a total of Ksh 47.6 billion. This represents 1pc of the total budget below the Malabo Declaration recommendation of 10pc.
To mitigate the funding shortfall, IGAD says there is need for the government to ensure complete absorption of agriculture funding.
The government has been advised to use technology to monitor uptake of the funds, to ensure target interventions are realized.
Governments in the Horn of Africa have been encouraged to embrace dialogue to minimize conflicts that have curtailed the food supply chain in the region increasing the regions import bill.
Additionally, IGAD member states have been encouraged to harmonize their tariffs to increase cross border trade.
They were speaking during the IGAD’s Regional agriculture Investment Plan, that aims at increasing regional agriculture production by 45pc and increasing value addition by 35 percent.
