Hon. Agho Oliver Champions Cameroon in The Gambia

Cameroon’s commitment to advancing agricultural transformation and youth empowerment was prominently showcased as Hon. Agho Oliver represented the National Assembly at a high-level Joint Youth Parliamentary Retreat on Youth Agrifood Systems Transformation and the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Kampala Implementation Guidelines.

The two-day retreat, organized by Gambian Soil Solution in collaboration with the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), was held under the patronage of His Excellency Adama Barrow, President of the Republic of The Gambia. Hon. Agho Oliver participated with the full approval of The Right Honourable Théodore Datouo, Speaker of the National Assembly of Cameroon, in his capacity as Central African Subregional Coordinator of the African Parliamentary Network on Agrifood Systems Transformation.

The event was officially opened by the Vice President of The Gambia and brought together Members of Parliament, youth leaders, policymakers, development partners, representatives of the Gambian Ministry of Youth and Sports, and other key stakeholders committed to accelerating agricultural development across Africa.

Addressing participants, Hon. Agho Oliver commended the Government of The Gambia for taking a leading role in the inclusive domestication of the Kampala Declaration, the 2026–2035 Kampala Action Plan, and its implementation strategy. He highlighted Cameroon’s experience in promoting parliamentary ownership of the continental agenda, noting the unwavering commitment of The Right Honourable Théodore Datouo to ensuring that the Cameroon National Assembly actively supports the implementation of the Kampala Declaration and its strategic objectives.

Hon. Oliver emphasized that the Kampala Declaration, adopted during the Extraordinary African Union Summit on CAADP in Kampala, Uganda, recognizes young people and parliamentarians as indispensable actors in driving Africa’s agrifood systems transformation and achieving sustainable agricultural growth.

The retreat also built on momentum generated earlier this year when Cameroon hosted the launch of the African Union CAADP Kampala Implementation Guidelines, further reinforcing the country’s leadership in advancing continental agricultural policies.

During the opening ceremony, the Vice President of The Gambia thanked Hon. Agho Oliver for his remarks and recalled his participation in the 14th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization held in Yaoundé. He conveyed the warm greetings of President Adama Barrow to President Paul Biya and reaffirmed The Gambia’s commitment to supporting young people in implementing the Kampala CAADP Declaration at the national level.

Participants also received a comprehensive presentation from AGRA on the Youth in Agrifood Systems Transformation Performance Index (YAPI), an innovative framework designed to assess youth participation across five strategic domains within Africa’s agrifood systems. Throughout the retreat, more than 50 Members of Parliament, alongside youth representatives and development partners, engaged in in-depth discussions on policy reforms, investment opportunities, innovation, and strategies to strengthen youth participation in agricultural value chains.

The retreat concluded with a collective commitment from parliamentarians, government representatives, youth leaders, and development partners to accelerate the domestication and implementation of the CAADP Kampala Declaration, reaffirming their shared resolve to place young people at the centre of Africa’s agrifood systems transformation agenda.