A workshop in the capital, Aden, discusses enhancing food security
SMA NEWS – ADEN THE CAPITAL
The Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Fisheries in the capital, Aden, organized a workshop entitled Strengthening Food Security and Partnerships in cooperation with the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation and the Executive Branch to accelerate the absorption of donor pledges and support the implementation of reform policies and the International Growth Center.
The workshop reviewed the results of the institutional evaluation of the Ministry of Agriculture, the priorities of institutional reforms, the results of the institutional evaluation, and the most important recommendations that will be presented by the experts of the International Growth Center, in addition to an evaluation presentation on the matrix of reforms based on the institutional evaluation, and an evaluation presentation on the partnership between the public and private sectors in the fisheries sector.
The Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Fisheries, Major General Salem Abdullah Al-Soqatri, said that the workshop culminates the ministry’s efforts in cooperation with the executive branch to absorb donor pledges and support reform policies during the last period, to develop the 2028 institutional reforms program. He explained that the program depends on the ministry’s institutional evaluation and capacity building document and the plan. Strengthening the role of the agricultural and fishery sector in improving food security 2023-2027, and the Ministry’s strategic plan 2023-2028.
Dr. Waed Badhib, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, for his part, praised the implementation of the Ministry’s plan to implement the institutional reforms program for the year 2023-2028, which is based on the strategic plans prepared by the Ministry aimed at conducting an institutional assessment to determine the institutional reform priorities of the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Fisheries. He also praised the efforts made by Minister Al-Soqatri that aims to implement institutional reforms in the ministry to accommodate donor pledges and ensure optimal benefit from the support provided.
Head of the Executive Body to Accelerate the Absorption of Donors’ Pledges, Dr. Afrah Al-Zoba, spoke via the video communication program “Zoom” that this workshop was the result of workshops in which employees of the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Fisheries participated, which were implemented by the Executive Body to accelerate the absorption of donor pledges during the last period, which led to the development of the Ministry’s plan to implement the institutional reforms program for the year 2023-2028, she also indicated that the reform plans to develop the institutional sector in the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Fisheries will be clarified during the workshop. She also hoped for continued cooperation from the ministry’s leadership to facilitate the work of the executive branch to accelerate the absorption of donor pledges.
Dr. Robert Peschel from the International Growth Center gave an intervention via the Zoom video communication program in which he confirmed that there are some recommendations for the ministry to access project financing in the agricultural and fishery sectors. He confirmed that there should be work to restore data and restructure the ministry to build public financial management and accounting documentation, as he explained some shortcomings include the Ministry’s lack of a sufficient number of specialists in agriculture and fisheries management.
The workshop, that witnessed the participation of the chamber of commerce and industry in Aden in addition to a number of representatives of international bodies, organizations and donors, touched on the extent of the Ministry of Agriculture’s achievements in developing strategic plans as it is the building block for the institutional work that the Ministry should undertake to advance the agricultural and fisheries sector, stressing their keenness to give special attention to the agriculture and fisheries sector as it is the main foundation of food security.
