Africa Solidarity Trust Fund (ASTF) Transforming resources into development solutions Final report 2014–2018 Africa Solidarity Trust Fund (ASTF) Transforming resources into development solutions Final report 2014–2018 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Rome, 2019 Required citation: FAO. 2019. Africa Solidarity Trust Fund (ASTF). Transforming resources into development solutions. Final report 2014–2018. Rome. 84 pp. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO. The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. 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Cover photographs ©FAO Contents Foreword .................................................................................................................................................................................. v Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................................................. vi Acronyms and abbreviations ...........................................................................................................................................vii Executive summary .............................................................................................................................................................. ix 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................................................................1 2. Progress and achievements for 2014–2018 ............................................................................................................3 2.1. Contribution of the ASTF to FAO corporate results .....................................................................................3 2.2. Key achievements by thematic area .................................................................................................................4 2.2.1. Agribusiness, value chains and youth employment ...........................................................................5 2.2.2. Resilience and livelihood support ...........................................................................................................7 2.2.3. Food safety, security and nutrition..........................................................................................................8 2.2.4. Women’s empowerment......................................................................................................................... 10 2.3. Achievements in regional and subregional programmes .......................................................................11 2.3.1. Africa’s south–south cooperation facility for agriculture and food security ........................... 11 2.3.2. Promoting decent rural youth employment and entrepreneurship in agriculture and agribusiness .................................................................................................................. 13 2.3.3. Rural women’s empowerment in agriculture programme (RWEAP) ......................................... 14 2.3.4. Adoption of efficient and climate-smart agriculture practices in African SIDS ...................... 15 2.3.5. Creating agribusiness employment opportunities for youth through sustainable aquaculture systems and cassava value chains in Western Africa ....................... 16 2.3.6. Enhanced food security in urban areas in Central Africa through improved availability of locally produced food ................................................................................ 17 2.3.7. Promoting nutrition sensitive agricultural diversification to fight malnutrition and enhance youth employment opportunities in Eastern Africa ..................................................... 18 2.3.8. Strengthening controls of food safety threats, plant and animal pests and diseases for agricultural productivity and trade in Southern Africa ........................................................... 21 2.3.9. Enhancing capacity/risk reduction of emerging tilapia lake virus (TiLV) to African tilapia aquaculture ..................................................................................................................... 23 2.4 Country-specific projects ....................................................................................................................................23 2.4.1. Guinea ........................................................................................................................................................... 23 2.4.2. Liberia ........................................................................................................................................................... 25 2.4.3. Sierra Leone ................................................................................................................................................. 26 2.4.4. Central African Republic ......................................................................................................................... 27 2.4.5. South Sudan ................................................................................................................................................ 28 2.4.6. Ethiopia ........................................................................................................................................................ 29 2.4.7. Malawi .......................................................................................................................................................... 30 iii 2.4.8. Mali ................................................................................................................................................................ 31 2.4.9. Niger .............................................................................................................................................................. 32 3. General experiences, lessons and spin-off effects ..............................................................................................33 3.1. Technical experiences and lessons ..................................................................................................................33 3.1.1. Catalytic effects and leveraging ............................................................................................................ 33 3.1.2. Partnerships ................................................................................................................................................ 33 3.1.3. Capacity development ............................................................................................................................