ASSESSING NIGERIA'S CAADP IMPLEMENTATION THROUGHTHE ATA: THE NAIP/ECOWAP EXPERIENCE - The National Association of Nigerian Traders NANTS

Africa has been identified as the current second fastest growing region in the world with GDP growth rate of 5.2% (3.9% pre-CAADP) and per capita GDP growth of 2.3% (1.3% pre-CAADP)1 .This implies that overall GDP almost doubled and per capita GDP rose by around 35%.This recorded growth may not have translated to moving people out of poverty as there is hardly any change in the percentage of people living in absolute poverty pre-CAADP and now.It is on record that over 40% of people living in sub-Saharan Africa today still live in absolute poverty.

Nevertheless, it has been widely noted that growth in Africa’s economy is widely rooted in the agricultural sector.This implies that for sustainable development to take root,Africa must attain food security,using the agricultural sector that employs over 60 per cent of the population.Therefore, when the African Heads of States endorsed the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) at the African Union Heads of State Summit as part of a New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) program in July 2003, it was aimed to help African countries reach a higher path of economic growth through agricultural sector led development. Over and above,the thrust was to eliminate hunger,reduce poverty, attain food security, and enable export expansion.