AU Member States recognize that sustainable agricultural mechanization is a key enabler of agricultural transformation, productivity growth, and inclusive agri-food systems development. However, Sustainable Agricultural mechanization in Africa remains fragmented, uneven, and under-coordinated, despite its central role in achieving food security, decent rural employment, climate resilience, and agri-food systems transformation. While many African countries have established national agricultural mechanization and engineering services, these institutions often operate in isolation, with limited opportunities for structured peer learning, harmonization of standards, or coordinated policy engagement at continental and regional levels.

At the same time, the Framework for Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization in Africa (F-SAMA) calls for strong national leadership, cross-country learning, and institutional coordination to translate policy commitments into practical, scalable, and sustainable mechanization solutions. The absence of a formal platform linking Heads of Mechanization and Engineering Services has constrained collective action, slowed uptake of good practices, and weakened Africa’s voice in global and continental mechanization discourse.

The HAMES Network was therefore conceived as a continental professional and policy network that brings together Heads of Agricultural Mechanization and Engineering Services to strengthen leadership, coordination, and implementation capacity for sustainable agricultural mechanization across Africa. Member States supported its establishment as a continental platform that connects senior government officials and national expertise  responsible for agricultural mechanization and engineering in African countries. The Network provides a structured space for peer exchange, policy dialogue, technical collaboration, and joint advocacy in support of sustainable, inclusive, and climate-smart mechanization.

HAMES Network serves as a bridge between continental frameworks and national implementation, supporting countries to operationalize F-SAMA, align mechanization actions with CAADP commitments, and leverage digital tools such as the AfricaMechanize Platform for knowledge sharing and decision support. It acts as a technical backbone for SAM implementation in Africa, linking policy to practice, strengthening engineering services, and accelerating adoption of sustainable, inclusive, and climate-smart mechanization pathways.

Core Objectives

• Strengthen institutional leadership and coordination of agricultural mechanization and engineering services in Africa
• Facilitate peer learning and exchange of best practices on mechanization policies, technologies, and service delivery models
• Support operationalization of F-SAMA at national and regional levels
• Promote harmonization of standards, guidelines, and approaches to sustainable mechanization
• Enhance Africa’s collective voice and visibility in continental and global mechanization initiatives

Expected Value Addition

The HAMES Network aims to strengthen institutional leadership and coordination of agricultural mechanization in Africa. Some of the key excepted value enhancement includes:

• Improved policy coherence and implementation effectiveness for agricultural mechanization
• Accelerated adoption of sustainable, climate-smart, and inclusive mechanization pathways
• Stronger linkages between policy, engineering services, private sector, and knowledge platforms
• Reduced duplication and enhanced south–south learning among African countries, thus strengthened Africa’s collective voice in continental and global mechanization initiatives.

Key Messages

In this space of SAM some of the key messages to note includes:

• Agricultural mechanization is essential for achieving CAADP targets and Africa’s agri-food systems transformation.
• Strong national leadership and cross-country coordination are prerequisites for operationalizing F-SAMA.
• Heads of Agricultural Mechanization and Engineering Services are critical change agents but require a structured continental platform.
• The HAMES Network provides a practical mechanism to translate policy commitments into coordinated action and impact.

Call to Action

• AU Member States: Endorse and actively participate in the HAMES Network through designated national focal points.
• African Union Commission and RECs: Recognize HAMES as a technical coordination mechanism for F-SAMA and CAADP implementation.
• Development Partners and Technical Agencies: Support the Network through capacity development, knowledge exchange, and strategic investments.