Kigali: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has introduced two innovative tools in Africa aimed at improving how governments track and allocate public spending within agrifood systems. The launch, which took place during a side event at the Africa Food Systems Forum in Kigali, Rwanda, seeks to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of public expenditure in the agricultural sector.
According to African Press Organization, the first tool, the FAO Agrifood Systems Public Expenditure Analysis (ASPEA), offers a unified framework for countries to define, classify, and measure public spending across agrifood systems. This standardized approach is expected to promote more consistent data collection, strengthen accountability, and assist countries in monitoring their public spending commitments.
The second tool, the FAO Policy Optimization Tool (PolOpT), aids governments in evaluating the effective allocation of existing public resources across policies and subsectors to align with national development goals. Analysis with PolOpT indicates that reallocating current expenditures can sometimes yield better results than merely increasing overall spending, a critical insight as governments balance agrifood system priorities with other public budget demands.
FAO Deputy Regional Representative for Africa, Meshack Malo, emphasized that the launch of these tools represents the introduction of practical instruments that support governments in planning, budgeting, implementing, and ensuring accountability. Malo urged Member States, the African Union, Regional Economic Communities, development partners, financial institutions, and research organizations to collaborate with FAO to expand the use of these tools across Africa.
The tools are positioned to assist African countries in implementing the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Kampala Strategy and Action Plan for 2025-2035. Developed by economists from FAO’s Agrifood Economics and Policy Division and the FAO Investment Centre, the methodology provides policymakers and researchers with a detailed understanding of public resource allocation across agrifood systems.
PolOpT, complementing expenditure tracking, helps governments evaluate budget allocations to achieve national priorities. Developed by economists in FAO’s Monitoring and Analysing Food and Agricultural Policies (MAFAP) program, it uses country-specific economic modeling to generate alternative spending scenarios, aiding policymakers in assessing trade-offs among agricultural, economic, social, and environmental objectives within fiscal constraints.
Rwanda, the host of the Africa Food Systems Forum 2026, is already applying this approach. Telesphore Ndabamenye, Rwanda’s Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources, validated the results of FAO’s PolOpT analysis and approved the tool for national use. The results are expected to be shared widely across government, engaging the Office of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, and other relevant ministries.
Elsewhere in Africa, PolOpT is influencing public investment planning. FAO has implemented the tool in countries such as Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Uganda. Notably, Nigeria has utilized PolOpT analysis to inform its National Agrifood Systems Investment Plan for 2026-2027.