FAO Unveils Tools to Track Africa’s Agrifood Spending

News in Brief: 

— FAO recently launched two tools to help African governments track public expenses across agrifood systems and find effective ways to allocate existing resources.

— Nigeria is one of the African countries using the tool to inform its National Agrifood Systems Investment Plan for 2026-2027.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) announced the Agrifood Systems Public Expenditure Analysis (ASPEA) and Policy Optimisation Tool (PolOpT) to help African governments track public spending across agrifood systems and allocate existing resources effectively. 

Standardisation and Optimisation

The ASPEA tool is a framework for countries to define, classify and measure public spending across agrifood systems

Developed by the agency's Agrifood Economics and Policy Division & Investment Centre, it can improve expenditure data consistency, strengthen accountability and help monitor public spending commitments. It also provides a comprehensive picture of where public resources are being directed across the nation’s agrifood system.

Meanwhile, PolOpT was built to examine how governments could allocate already existing resources more efficiently to achieve national development targets.

It has shown that in some circumstances, reallocating existing expenses can produce better results than just increasing total spending.

Developed by the FAO’s Monitoring and Analysing Food and Agricultural Policies team, the tool uses country-specific economic modelling to generate alternative spending scenarios. It allows policymakers to examine trade-offs between agricultural, economic, social and environmental objectives within existing fiscal constraints. 

FAO Calls for Wider Adoption Across Africa

At the launch, Meshack Malo, FAO Deputy Regional Representative for Africa, described the tools as practical instruments for governments rather than simply technical resources.

“Today, we are not simply launching two technical tools. We are launching practical instruments that can support governments in planning, budgeting, implementation, and accountability,” he said.

He called on African Union institutions, member states, regional economic communities, development partners, financial institutions and research organisations to work with the food agency to expand the use of the tools across the continent.

These tools could also support countries as they domesticate and implement the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Kampala Strategy and Action Plan 2025–2035.

Nigeria Among Countries Using PolOpT

FAO has applied PolOpT in several African countries, including Rwanda, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mozambique, Nigeria and Uganda.

In Nigeria, the analysis has informed the National Agrifood Systems Investment Plan for 2026–2027. The application is particularly relevant as Nigeria seeks to improve agricultural productivity, food security and investment outcomes while operating within significant fiscal constraints.