Kigali: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has introduced two tools in Africa aimed at enhancing the tracking and allocation of public spending within agrifood systems. This development was announced at a side event of the Africa Food Systems Forum held in Kigali, Rwanda.
According to African Press Organization, the first tool, known as the FAO Agrifood Systems Public Expenditure Analysis (ASPEA), provides a unified framework that enables countries to define, classify, and measure public spending across agrifood systems. This consistent approach aims to improve data accuracy, reinforce accountability, and assist countries in monitoring their public spending commitments.
The second tool, the FAO Policy Optimization Tool (PolOpT), is designed to help governments evaluate how existing public resources can be more effectively distributed across policies and subsectors to align with national development priorities. PolOpT's analysis suggests that reallocating existing expenditures, rather than increasing overall spending, can yield better results, which is crucial as governments balance agrifood systems priorities with other budgetary demands.
Meshack Malo, FAO Deputy Regional Representative for Africa, emphasized the practical nature of these tools in supporting government planning, budgeting, implementation, and accountability. Malo encouraged collaboration among Member States, the African Union, Regional Economic Communities, and other partners to expand the use of these tools across Africa.
The tools are particularly significant for countries implementing the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Kampala Strategy and Action Plan 2025-2035. Developed by economists from FAO's Agrifood Economics and Policy Division and the FAO Investment Centre, the methodology tool offers policymakers and researchers a comprehensive view of public resource allocation in agrifood systems.
PolOpT enhances expenditure tracking by allowing governments to explore alternative budget allocations to meet national priorities. Developed by economists in FAO's Monitoring and Analysing Food and Agricultural Policies (MAFAP) programme, PolOpT uses country-specific economic modeling to create spending scenarios that help policymakers evaluate trade-offs among agricultural, economic, social, and environmental goals within fiscal constraints.
Rwanda, the host of the Africa Food Systems Forum 2026, has already begun applying the approach. The Rwandan Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Telesphore Ndabamenye, validated the results of FAO's PolOpT analysis and approved its use in Rwanda. The results will be disseminated across government, including the Office of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, and other relevant ministries.
Elsewhere in Africa, PolOpT is informing public investment planning. FAO has implemented the tool in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Uganda. Notably, Nigeria has utilized PolOpT analysis to guide its National Agrifood Systems Investment Plan for 2026-2027.