Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) programme is funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) to increase agricultural productivity in Africa through the deployment of proven and high performance agricultural technologies.

It originated from the declared need “to execute a bold plan to achieve rapid agricultural transformation across Africa through raising agricultural productivity” made by participants in the Dakar High-Level Conference in October 2015 that led to the formulation by the AfDB in June 2016 of the Feed Africa: A Strategy for African Agricultural Transformation. TAAT is aligned with the objectives of the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme of the African Union Commission’s NEPAD, namely to:

• Eliminate extreme poverty
• End hunger and malnutrition
• Turn Africa into a net food exporter, and
• Position Africa at the top of agricultural value chains where it has a comparative advantage.

The developmental objective of TAAT is to rapidly expand access of smallholder farmers to high yielding agricultural technologies that improve their food production, assure food security and raise rural incomes. This goal is achieved by delivering regional public goods for rapidly scaling up agricultural technologies across similar agro-ecological zones. This result is achieved through three principal mechanisms:

• Creating an enabling environment for technology adoption by farmers
• Facilitating effective delivery of these technologies to farmers through a structured Regional Technology Delivery Infrastructure and
• Raising agricultural production and productivity through the identification and deployment of strategic interventions that include improved crop varieties and animal breeds, accompanying good management practices, and vigorous farmer outreach campaigns at the country level.

The important roles of sound policies, empowering women and youth, strengthening and innovating extension systems and engaging with the private sector are implicit within this strategy.

TAAT brings together research institutes (national and international), public extension services, private sector suppliers and buyers, farmers organizations and not-for-profit organizations involved in agricultural development. These institutions come together with specific objectives within selected agricultural value chains and form Commodity Technology Delivery Compacts (referred to simply as “Compacts”) for technology delivery to millions of agricultural producers. In its first year of implementation, the TAAT program includes nine (9) Value Chain Compacts namely:

Project Steering Committee (PSC)

The Project Steering Committee is the highest decision-making body composed of representatives of AfDB, African Ministers of Agriculture of participating RMCs, the various CG Centers, the Private sector, NARES and regional farmer organizations. The committee provides oversight functions to Regional Technology Delivery Infrastructure (RTDI).  All annual work programs will be cleared by the PSC prior to funding.