African leaders have been urged to collaborate rather than compete with each other in order to realise food security in the continent.  

Heads of State and governments have also been urged to align with the Malabo declaration which mandates African nations to allocate a minimum of 10 per cent of their budgets to agriculture, aiming for at least a six per cent annual growth rate. 

The calls were made last week during the Presidential Summit, at the tail end of the Africa Food Systems Forum (AGRF) 2023, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The Presidential Summit brought together Heads of State and government, eminent persons and hundreds of leaders and stakeholders from across Africa’s agriculture, agribusiness and food sectors.  

The leaders reached a consensus that there were gaps in every step, with most countries relying on outdated technology and little investments in production chains. 

Speaking at the event, Hailemariam Dessalegn, former Ethiopia Prime Minister and AGRF Partner Group Chair, highlighted the pressing issues facing Africa’s food systems including the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis, the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing droughts and floods, supply chain disruptions, conflict, and other pressing issues. 

“We are in the process of recovery from three major shocks and the need for transformative action has never been more urgent. The Africa Food Systems Forum 2023 is a defining moment in highlighting and unlocking the continent’s political, policy and financial commitments and innovations towards achieving productive, nutritious, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable food systems in Africa,” said Mr Hailemariam. 

Kenya’s President William Ruto said Africa has the potential to feed itself and export the surplus, adding that the continent has huge agricultural space that it must exploit. President Ruto observed that it was time countries in Africa worked together and put to use their untapped resources. “We must utilise the enormous arable lands that we have to our advantage,” he said. 

Dr Ruto cited the employment of new technology and increased mechanisation as some of the strategies to use. “Food is emotive. We must work with other stakeholders to think and plan to get it right,” he said. 

He told the summit that through the Kenya government’s deliberate plan to subsidise production, at least 60 million bags of maize will be realised this year. He added that the increased production, of more than 20 million bags as compared to 2022 was due to the accessibility, affordability and availability of seeds and fertilisers. “We are now addressing the post-harvest losses that we have been suffering from.” 

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan reiterated her country’s commitment to revolutionise its agriculture sector and emerge as a leading food producer in Africa. “I believe that Africa can feed the world and my government has scaled up the budget for agriculture nearly four folds, over the last two years, US$120 million in 2021/2022 to about US$400 million in 2023/2024 in a bid to catalyse agriculture and food system transformation in Tanzania,” she said. 

Overall, Africa’s food system is failing to deliver sustainable healthy diets to all, largely due to the combination of climate change, conflict, economic instability, low agricultural productivity, and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. With over 20 per cent of the continent’s population (roughly 257 million people) undernourished, Africa bears the heaviest burden of malnutrition.  

Multiple reports including the recent study by the International Federation of the Red Cross have said a fifth of Africa’s 1.3 billion people go to bed hungry every day. Africa’s food import bill is US$75 billion per year but 22 million more people will get hungry by January 2024. The numbers by the State of Food Security and Nutrition Report of July 2023, indicated that Africa’s food crisis is twice the global average. 

AASR 2023 Report

The 2023 Africa Agriculture Status Report (AASR 2023) unveiled last week in Dar es Salaam during the AGRF Food Summit, revealed that an emphasis on the consequences of inaction, which go beyond hunger and malnutrition to impact economic, social and environmental aspects, has eroded the progress achieved over the years.  

Part of the report shows that in many parts of Africa, farmers do not have access to agricultural inputs and services, which include quality seeds, fertilisers, agricultural machinery, irrigation systems, advisory services, credit, and insurance leading to a failed impact on food systems. 

“Without these, farming can become less efficient and productive leading to potential failures in food systems,” said Dr John Ulimwengu, the report’s lead author. 

The report further notes that the promotion of sustainable farming practices through organic farming, permaculture, and other climate-smart practices that improve soil health and biodiversity is also critical for sustainable food systems in Africa.

Up to this point, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) has been promoting Regenerative Agriculture farming techniques in Kenya, with a specific focus on semi-arid regions of the country. In Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia and Rwanda, AGRA is promoting the use of lime to treat soils that have become acidic and are affected by aluminium toxicity.  

Youth in agriculture

The summit emphasised the importance of engaging Africa’s youthful demographic in agriculture by leveraging technology and innovative approaches that resonate with them. African leaders stressed that technology could play a pivotal role in attracting young people to agriculture, with Kenya highlighting its efforts. 

President Ruto said there will be no future in agriculture unless the youth are on board. “A new narrative around agriculture will make it attract more young people who can help us produce more efficiently,” he said. 

Experts opine that the push to attract more youth to engage in agriculture can yield significant benefits, provided that ample opportunities for them to embrace sector-related innovations are made available. 

Ghanaian plant geneticist, Prof Eric Yirenkyi Danquah, the founding director of the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement and former director of the Biotechnology Centre at the University of Ghana, said that smart youth can only join the agriculture sector if they see opportunities. 

Prof Danquah said in the age of technological development, the youth are the champions of innovations that shape different economic activities. “We want the youth to go into agriculture, but they won’t go if there are no opportunities,” said Prof Danquah on the sidelines of the AGRF 2023 Forum. 

Removal of trade barriers 

During the summit, leaders spoke passionately about the removal of trade barriers and embracing research knowledge in the food systems transformation. “I call on all African countries to implement the AfCFTA and remove trade barriers,” said Dr Philip Isdor Mpango, the Vice President of Tanzania.

African governments are committed to tripling intra-African trade in agricultural commodities and services by 2025 as part of the 2014 Malabo declaration. However, the aspiration is far-fetched as this kind of trade continues to dwindle from its peak in 2013 to less than 15 per cent in 2022. 

Nevertheless, if fully implemented, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) could raise household income by nine per cent by 2035 while lifting 50 million people out of extreme poverty. Africa could see foreign direct investment increase by between 111 per cent and 159 per cent under the AfCFTA.  

The summit provided a platform to reflect on the coordinated large-scale action by the continent’s leading thinkers, policymakers, and innovators to explore the latest breakthroughs and best practices in agriculture and food systems transformation. It called for bold thought leadership to accelerate action towards translating food systems pathways and commitments into actionable strategies, particularly to address climate.