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The AfCFTA Secretariat and AGRA Seal New Partnership to Fast-Track Intra-African Trade and Agricultural Growth

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | Monday, February 16, 2026. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat and AGRA have reinforced their strategic partnership to accelerate intra-African trade, positioning agriculture as a central engine of farmer prosperity, value addition, and regional food security.

At a high-level event on the 14^th of February on the margins of the 39^th African Union Summit, H.E. Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, and Alice Ruhweza, President of AGRA, formalised this commitment through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding marking a new phase of cooperation with a strong focus on translating the AfCFTA legal framework into practical outcomes for African agricultural markets.

The partnership comes at a pivotal moment as Africa advances implementation of the AfCFTA Agreement. With 50 countries having ratified the Agreement, attention shifts from legal commitment to practical implementation, particularly in agriculture. “The AfCFTA offers Africa a historic opportunity to shift from exporting raw commodities to building regional value chains that create jobs, raise farmer incomes and strengthen food security,” said H.E. Wamkele Mene. “Our partnership with AGRA is about moving from ambition to execution, ensuring that agricultural trade delivers tangible benefits for producers, processors and consumers across the continent.”

Through the AfCFTA Agri-Trade Action Plan, which proposes several interventions, including, among others, reducing non-tariff barriers, improving trade facilitation, promoting value addition and mobilising investment in regional agricultural value chains, the collaboration will advance agricultural trade under AfCFTA.

“Trade will not transform Africa’s food systems unless farmers and agri-enterprises are able to produce competitively, meet international quality standards, and connect to reliable markets,” said Alice Ruhweza, President of AGRA. “This partnership is about making intra-African food trade work in practice—linking policy to delivery so that agriculture becomes a driver of inclusive growth, resilience and shared prosperity.”

Together, the AfCFTA Secretariat and AGRA will drive this partnership toward practical, farmer-centred action, enabling agriculture to fully leverage integrated African markets and deliver inclusive growth, resilience, and shared prosperity across the continent.

Media Contact For interviews and media enquiries, contact: media@agra.org | +254 703 033000

About AGRA

AGRA is a proudly African-led institution focused on scaling agricultural innovations that help smallholder farmers towards increased incomes, better livelihoods, and improved food security. Since 2006, AGRA has worked with its partners, governments, non-governmental organizations, private sector businesses, and more; to deliver a set of proven solutions to smallholder farmers and indigenous African agricultural enterprises. AGRA catalyzes and sustains an inclusive agricultural transformation aimed at increasing incomes and enhancing food security in 12 countries.

For more information, visit agra.org

About the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)

The African Continental Free Trade Area, established in 2018, aims to create a single market for goods and services across Africa, promote economic integration among African Union Member States, and significantly increase intra-African trade to support sustainable development.

DAVOS, Switzerland, January 21, 2026: As global leaders and investors gather in the Swiss Alps for the World Economic Forum, one question dominates the agenda: where will the next decade of growth come from? AGRA arrives in Davos to launch a year-long reflection on twenty years of AGRA and Africa’s agri-food sector, with a clear message; African agriculture, if scaled, is one of the world’s most under-invested and highest-return opportunities.

AGRA’s presence in Davos marks the opening of its AGRA@20 journey, carrying forward a year of global engagement focused on what two decades of experience make possible now. After twenty years of working alongside governments, farmers and markets across Africa, AGRA is using its 20th anniversary year to sharpen the case for scale, translating evidence into investable pathways that can raise farmer incomes, strengthen food systems and unlock shared prosperity across the continent.

Africa’s food system is projected to reach USD1 trillion by 2030, driven by rising demand, value-chain opportunities, exports and technology. This potential will only be realized if the system works for the 33 million smallholder farmers who feed it and the 150 million livelihoods it sustains.

“AGRA@20 is not a retrospective milestone but the opening of our next chapter,” said Alice Ruhweza, president of AGRA. “When smallholder farmers earn viable incomes, adoption sticks, markets stabilize and food systems become investable. The greatest risk today is not investing in African agriculture but failing to invest at scale.”

Why AGRA@20, and why now

Over the past two decades, AGRA and its partners have helped governments and markets improve access to quality seeds, soil health solutions, extension services and policy reforms across Africa. The lesson from that work is clear: when farming becomes economically viable, adoption sticks, markets stabilise and private investment follows.

AGRA’s evidence shows that farmers operating below break-even cannot sustain new practices or technologies. When farmers cross an annual income threshold of roughly USD 1,200, behaviour changes. Farmers reinvest, productivity improves and agriculture begins to function as a business rather than a safety net. Aggregating roughly 1,500 smallholder farmers creates a viable economic unit the private sector can serve profitably. At that scale, transaction costs fall, demand becomes predictable and services become investable.

“If smallholder farmers were a country, they would be the world’s largest underperforming economy, and its biggest opportunity,” said Ms. Ruhweza. “At 1,500 farmers aggregated, agriculture stops being aid and starts building agri-food businesses.”

What Two Decades of AGRA’s Work Have Delivered

Since its founding, AGRA has supported the release of more than 700 improved crop varieties, many bred to withstand drought, pests and disease, while working with governments and regional bodies to advance seed and fertilizer policy reforms that lower costs and expand access to inputs.

Independent assessments reinforce these outcomes. Evaluations conducted by Mathematica, drawing on farmer surveys and secondary data from the Food and Agriculture Organization and other sources, show increased adoption of improved seed, productivity gains and income growth in AGRA focus countries. In Nigeria, improved seed adoption reached over 50 percent nationally, supported by expanded private-sector capacity and community-based advisory networks. In Kenya’s arid counties, regenerative agriculture initiatives generated returns exceeding five times the value of investment, while strengthening resilience to climate shocks.

Why this lands at Davos

AGRA has chosen Davos to directly engage global capital allocators, policymakers, and corporate leaders, reframing African agriculture from aid dependency to economic infrastructure aligned with global priorities on growth, supply chain resilience, food security, and climate risk management.

The central message to investors: fragmentation is a scale problem—and Africa now has proven solutions.

AGRA@20 calls on governments, investors and partners to align capital, policy and delivery around one organising principle: farmer income is the metric that makes food systems resilient, investable and sustainable.

Notes to editors: Projections and figures cited reflect AGRA analysis and publicly referenced estimates shared at Davos 2026.

Media Contact
For interviews and media enquiries, contact: media@agra.org | +254 703 033000

AGRA urges global leaders to treat hunger as a systemic global risk 

Ahead of Davos 2026, AGRA underscores that climate pressures, geopolitical disruptions, and fragile food systems are increasingly intersecting in ways that elevate the risk of widespread hunger, an issue that demands sustained global attention and cannot be treated as a lower-order concern.

Nairobi, Kenya, 16 January 2026: AGRA has noted that the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2026 does not include hunger among its top 10 global risks over either the two-year or 10-year horizon. This is despite a world in which climate shocks are intensifying, ecosystems are under strain, global supply chains remain at risk, and the foundations of food production, especially in Africa, are steadily eroding. More than half of Africans depend directly on nature for their livelihoods, underscoring that food security, ecosystem health, and economic stability are deeply intertwined.

The report’s short-term (two-year) top risks are dominated by geoeconomic and geopolitical tensions as well as social and technological disruptions, including trade wars, misinformation and disinformation, societal polarisation, extreme weather events, and state-based armed conflict. Over the long-term (10-year) horizon, it highlights environmental threats such as extreme weather events, biodiversity loss, and ecosystem collapse, alongside misinformation, adverse outcomes of artificial intelligence, and natural resource shortages. Hunger appears in neither of the top risk lists.

AGRA recognizes the seriousness of the risks highlighted in the Global Risks Report, including the way geopolitical fragmentation can crowd out long-term priorities. However, hunger is not a niche humanitarian concern. It is a compounding, destabilising risk multiplier that fuels displacement, undermines political stability, deepens inequality, and weakens human capital and productivity. You cannot have strong economies without healthy ecosystems, and you cannot have healthy people without access to safe, affordable, and nutritious food.

“When hunger is treated as a downstream outcome rather than a front-line risk, the world responds too late after livelihoods collapse, after conflicts intensify, after children’s nutrition and learning are permanently damaged, and after fragile economies lose years of progress,” said Alice Ruhweza, President of AGRA. “The global community is rightly concerned about resilience and security. Food and nutrition security must therefore be integral to the global risk management architecture.”

A hunger crisis is already here, especially in Africa

The latest UN food security assessments show that hunger remains widespread globally and is rising in Africa. An estimated 673 million people faced hunger in 2024, and Africa’s prevalence of hunger surpassed 20 percent, affecting more than 307 million people. This trajectory is moving in the wrong direction for the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 2 on Zero Hunger. This, against the backdrop of a growing African population projected to reach 2.5 billion by 2050.

At the same time, the scientific consensus is clear that climate change is already reducing food security through its impacts on crop yields, livestock, fisheries, food access, and food prices, effects that are particularly severe in Africa and for small-scale producers. Without transforming agriculture, climate resilience will remain out of reach.

Climate and nature are one crisis—and hunger is how it reaches households

AGRA aligns with the growing global call, echoed by environmental leaders, for climate and nature to be placed front and centre, with measurable implementation rather than pledges alone. For food systems, this translates into a practical reality: degraded soils, water stress, biodiversity loss, and rising temperatures are direct threats to harvests, incomes, diets, and stability. Land and soil degradation are steadily weakening productive capacity and resilience, amplifying the effects of droughts, floods, and heat.

Meeting Africa’s future food needs will require nature and climate-positive innovations in agriculture that increase productivity and yields while reducing pressure on land, limiting further ecosystem conversion, and accelerating adaptation to climate change.

“Hunger doesn’t wait for the world to finish debating risk rankings. It grows quietly through depleted soils, failed rains, unaffordable diets, and stunted children,” Ruhweza concluded. “Davos should be a turning point where global risk leadership reflects the reality facing farmers and families.”

AGRA’s position ahead of Davos 2026

As leaders gather in Davos next week, AGRA calls for a clearer global risk posture that explicitly recognises hunger and malnutrition as strategic risks and invests accordingly. AGRA urges governments, development banks, philanthropic partners, insurers, and agrifood businesses to act with urgency because the roadmap is clear.

1. The African Development Bank is projecting Africa’s food and agriculture market to reach USD 1 trillion by 2030, an investment case representing the immense economic, social, and environmental benefits of ending hunger and building resilient food systems, and within reach. The question is whether development leaders, policymakers, and private sector actors gathered here in Davos will act with the urgency this moment demands.
2. Reclassify hunger as a first-order global risk, tracked with the same urgency as conflict, cyber insecurity, and macroeconomic shocks, and integrated into national and global risk registers.
3. Scale climate adaptation that reaches smallholders, including stress-tolerant seeds, climate services, insurance and risk financing, and localized extension systems that translate science into farm-level decisions.
4. Put soil health and landscape restoration at the core of food security strategies, rewarding regenerative and sustainable practices that rebuild soil organic matter, reduce erosion, improve water retention, and protect ecosystems.
5. Invest in the enabling infrastructure of resilience, including water management, irrigation where viable, storage, rural roads, energy access, and efficient trade and market systems, so that climate shocks do not become food crises.

By Aggie Konde

Nairobi, November 21, 2025: Following COP30 in Belém, Brazil, attention now shifts to Johannesburg for the G20 Summit. COP30 was intense, wide-ranging, and will require deeper reflection in the coming weeks. However, ahead of Johannesburg, it is important to briefly thread together key highlights from the Agricultural Innovation Showcase, which ran throughout COP30 and included a dedicated high-level event on Day One.

Co-hosted by the Gates Foundation, Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Embrapa, AGRA, AIM for Scale, CGIAR, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), and the United Arab Emirates, the Agricultural Innovation Showcase brought together a broad coalition of partners working at the forefront of global agricultural transformation. The Showcase highlighted practical, scalable solutions for strengthening global food security in a changing climate. For AGRA, it reinforced the value of the partnerships we have cultivated over two decades. Partnerships focused on soil health, farmer resilience, and innovation that meets farmers where they are.

Governments, researchers and development partners put real money and tools on the table. The Gates Foundation committed a whooping US$1.4 billion four-year adaptation package. This, added to what other partners pledged at the high-level event on Day One, bulked the full commitment to about US$2.8 billion.

Specifically, The Gates Foundation’s commitment identified three areas:

Digital advisory services: Mobile apps, SMS, and other platforms that deliver timely, tailored information to help farmers make informed planting decisions and manage risk, including support for the AIM for Scale initiative, which aims to reach 100 million farmers across Africa, Asia, and Latin America by 2030

Climate-resilient crops and livestock: Varieties that withstand drought, heat, and emerging pests while improving yields and nutrition

Soil health innovations: Approaches that restore degraded land, enhance productivity, and reduce emissions, which is supported by a US$30 million partnership with the Novo Nordisk Foundation to advance soil science research

We went into COP30 with among other objectives, realizing concrete partner commitments to finance Soil Values and farmer-led resilience packages. This momentum and energy must be carried to Johannesburg, where South Africa is chairing the first G20 held on African soil, under the theme Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability, with food security and climate resilience high on the list of priorities.

For business and government leaders gathering in South Africa, the goal is to build on Belém’s outcomes, emphasizing the private sector’s role and aligning finance with measurable results while keeping agriculture and food systems firmly on the agenda.

Under South Africa’s presidency, food security has been anchored in new principles that stress rights, affordability and resilience, referred to as the Ubuntu approach to food security and nutrition.  The task for Johannesburg is not to invent a new script. It is to top some of what Belém has done but now specifically for the continent, especially because we are hosting and can provide evidence on home soil.

The G20 under the leadership of Brazil helped launch the Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty in Rio, a platform that aims to support at least 100 million small scale farmers while backing national programmes such as school meals and social protection.

A practical takeaway for G20 leaders is to treat these lanes as fast tracks under the Global Alliance and related G20 finance initiatives. That means tying new concessional finance and blended capital to programs that can show hectares covered, farmers reached, and incomes stabilized, rather than to broad project labels. It also means aligning debt relief and sustainable finance discussions with food security outcomes, not just macro indicators.

Four delivery lanes that match G20 food security priorities

The G20 Agriculture Working Group and Food Security Task Force have already stressed that farmers, climate and inclusion must move to the center of global food policy. The four delivery lanes from Belém offer a simple way to execute that vision.

Digital climate services: G20 members can support scale up of trusted digital advisory by investing in rural connectivity, open weather and market data, and interoperable platforms. The payoff is better decisions at farm level, from when to plant to whether to buy insurance.

Seeds and science for resilience; Belém showcased pipelines of drought tolerant, heat tolerant and pest resistant varieties coming out of Brazilian and global research systems. The G20 can back this by strengthening national research, streamlining regional seed regulation and supporting local seed companies to commercialize these traits

Soil health at system scale; Living soils underpin yield stability under climate stress. The G20 agriculture agenda already acknowledges the need for integrated soil, water, and land management. Johannesburg can give that a sharper edge by encouraging coordinated soil health programs that blend fertilizer reform, organic matter management and farmer facing advisory, using the new finance signals from Belém as a catalyst.

Markets and policy linkages; Finally, both the G20 and COP30 processes recognize that innovation only delivers when markets, extension and finance move together. Regional trade, inclusive value chain finance and predictable policy are not side issues. They are the plumbing that takes proven solutions from pilot to scale.

Belém demonstrated the power of centering farmers in climate negotiations. Johannesburg can build on this by treating the COP30 agriculture agenda as a blueprint, signaling global support for smallholders and food systems through open tools, fair finance, and coordinated action.

BELEM, BRAZIL — November 10^th, 2025: As the UN Climate Conference (COP30) also knows as the “implementation COP” and the “COP of Truth” opens in Belém, AGRA is calling for a decisive shift from talk to action with ambition and urgency, urging a farmer-first breakthrough that puts soils, youth, and food systems at the center of global climate action.

AGRA is urging governments and partners to translate pledges into practical finance and policy packages that strengthen resilience for Africa’s smallholders, create jobs for young people, and unlock growth across food economies.

“Africa’s farmers are not waiting for the future; they are shaping it,” said Alice Ruhweza, President of AGRA. “A farmer-first climate breakthrough means turning promises into progress, converting finance into resilience, and transforming ambition into action where it matters most, on farms.”

AGRA believes COP30 offers a vital opportunity to advance the adaptation and resilience agenda through agriculture and food systems. Across its engagements in Belém, AGRA will spotlight proven pathways for scaling impact, including coherent policies, fit-for-purpose finance, functioning markets, and soil health systems that sustain productivity, with a view of putting youth and women at the center of Africa’s agricultural transformation.

This call aligns with the newly adopted Belém Declaration on Hunger, Poverty, and Human-Centered Climate Action, endorsed by 43 countries and the European Union. The Declaration recognizes that climate action and social justice are inseparable and urges a rebalancing of climate finance to support people most exposed to climate shocks. It highlights the need for climate-responsive social protection, insurance for smallholder farmers, and livelihood programs that build long-term resilience.

AGRA supports this global shift and emphasizes that small-scale producers are not just victims of the climate crisis, but are key drivers of resilience and transformation.

“Resilience is built when the right policies, finance, and technical solutions meet at the farm level,” said Tilahun Amede, AGRA’s Director for Sustainable Farming, Climate Adaptation, and Resilience. “At COP30 together with partners, we aim to show how soil health, water management, inclusive finance and stronger value chains can turn climate ambition into practical results for farmers for short term gains and longer-term resilience.”

The UNEP Adaptation Gap Report 2025 warns that developing countries face an annual shortfall of USD 284 – 339 billion in adaptation funding. Current flows meet barely a tenth of that need. AGRA is calling for a stronger push to direct climate finance where it has the greatest impact, into the hands of farmers and rural enterprises that power food and job systems across Africa.

The farmer-first approach reflects African negotiators’ calls for adaptation that delivers tangible improvements for producers. AGRA is working with governments to streamline regulations for climate-resilient seed, support risk-sharing mechanisms that attract private capital, and align donor programs with national priorities rather than short-term pilots.

Soils and Youth at the Center of Action

Years of land degradation have depressed yields and weakened resilience across smallholder systems. According to the Africa Food Systems Report 2025, nearly 65 percent of productive land in Africa is degraded, reducing yields and eroding resilience. AGRA is highlighting the urgent need to invest in soil health, promote diversified cropping, and improve nutrient management through both organic and mineral sources. It is also advocating for data systems that track soil health and productivity to guide national planning and investment.

AGRA’s youth agenda focuses on skills, enterprise financing, and procurement opportunities that bring young Africans into higher-value roles in processing, logistics, and input distribution. AGRA wants measurable progress on youth employment indicators and financing pathways for agri-SMEs that can retain young talent.

From Declarations to Delivery

Drawing on its work in fifteen African countries, AGRA argues that a delivery-first approach, tying finance to evidence-based actions, can help governments achieve climate and food security goals faster. The ultimate test of COP30, AGRA says, will be whether commitments channel resources into practical solutions that farmers can access.

AGRA is also a partner in the Growing Innovations showcase, co-hosted by the Gates Foundation, Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Embrapa, AIM for Scale, CGIAR, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), and the United Arab Emirates. The showcase both a high-level event on November 10 and a physical exhibition, will highlight affordable, climate-smart solutions designed for and, in many cases, by farmers.

#ENDS#

Notes to Editors
For interviews and/or media enquiries, contact: media@agra.org | +254 703 033000

• The AGRA Team will be on the ground in Belém, Brazil during COP30. If you’d like to connect for interviews, expert reactions, or to attend side events, please reach out via media@agra.org or mchileshe@agra.org

About AGRA

AGRA is an African-led organization that works with governments, the private sector and partners to transform agriculture by improving smallholder access to quality inputs, markets, finance and policy support. Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Nairobi, AGRA supports country-led delivery and continental initiatives that strengthen resilience, drive inclusive growth and improve food security.

Préambule

1. Le Forum africain sur les systèmes alimentaires 2025 (AFSF 2025) s’est tenu à Dakar, au Sénégal, du 31 août au 5 septembre 2025, réunissant près de 6 000 participants venus de 105 pays. Le Forum a réuni 2 chefs d’État et de gouvernement, 6 anciens chefs d’État et de gouvernement, 40 ministres chargés de portefeuilles tels que l’agriculture, l’énergie, la jeunesse, l’élevage et les finances, ainsi que des dirigeants d’agences internationales, des chercheurs, des partenaires de développement, des acteurs du secteur privé, des agriculteurs, des représentants de la société civile et des jeunes leaders.
2. Organisé sous la direction de S.E. le président Bassirou Diomaye Faye, le Forum était imprégné de l’esprit teranga du Sénégal, une culture durable d’hospitalité, de générosité et de solidarité qui a favorisé une atmosphère dynamique et inclusive propice au dialogue, à la collaboration et à des engagements audacieux.
3. Sur le thème « La jeunesse africaine : à la pointe de la collaboration, de l’innovation et de la mise en œuvre de la transformation des systèmes agroalimentaires », le Forum a mis en évidence le rôle central des jeunes dans la transformation agricole de l’Afrique grâce à leur leadership, leur innovation et leur action. Plus de 1 500 jeunes ont participé au Forum, apportant avec eux innovation, idées et urgence.
4. Ancré dans l’architecture politique plus large de l’Afrique, notamment l’Agenda 2063, la stratégie et le plan d’action décennaux du PDDAA et la Déclaration de Kampala du PDDAA sur la mise en place de systèmes agroalimentaires résilients et durables en Afrique (2026-2035) et les objectifs de développement durable (ODD), l’AFSF 2025 a poursuivi sur la lancée des forums précédents afin de relever les défis persistants et émergents qui entravent la transformation des systèmes alimentaires et de tirer parti des opportunités nouvelles et existantes.
5. L’AFSF 2025 a réaffirmé la position du Forum en tant que principale plateforme africaine pour la promotion de l’action collaborative, l’alignement des politiques et l’investissement dans la transformation des systèmes alimentaires, en accord avec les principaux cadres de développement du continent et les objectifs de développement durable (ODD).
6. Le Forum a pris acte de l’évolution du paysage mondial et régional, notamment :

• Un environnement financier international plus restrictif nécessitant une mobilisation accrue des ressources nationales.
• Une urgence accrue à lutter contre la vulnérabilité climatique, la dégradation de l’environnement et la fragilité des systèmes alimentaires, qui menacent tous les vies, les moyens de subsistance et les acquis en matière de développement à long terme.
• Le potentiel de transformation de la population jeune en pleine croissance en Afrique, dont plus de 70 % ont moins de 30 ans, en tant qu’entrepreneurs, innovateurs et décideurs dans les systèmes agroalimentaires.

7. L’AFSF 2025 a souligné l’urgence de tirer parti de la zone de libre-échange continentale africaine (ZLECA) comme une opportunité historique pour renforcer les chaînes de valeur régionales, améliorer la compétitivité et stimuler une croissance économique inclusive, en particulier pour les petits exploitants agricoles, les entreprises agricoles dirigées par des jeunes et les femmes entrepreneurs. L’amélioration des infrastructures liées au commerce, l’harmonisation des normes et la réduction des obstacles à la circulation des biens et services agricoles ont été reconnues comme des facteurs essentiels.
8. Reconnaissant l’urgence de transformer les systèmes alimentaires africains, le Forum a réaffirmé son engagement collectif en faveur d’une transformation inclusive, durable et équitable des systèmes alimentaires, avec le leadership des jeunes et la capacité de mise en œuvre comme moteurs.
9. Tout au long de la semaine, les délégués ont participé à des dialogues de haut niveau, des sessions techniques, des tables rondes ministérielles, des discussions animées par des jeunes, des présentations d’innovations et des « masterclasses » sur le renforcement des capacités, afin de promouvoir un avenir pour les systèmes alimentaires africains axé sur les jeunes, l’innovation et les résultats.

Plateformes thématiques Appels à l’action 

10. Les plateformes thématiques du Forum ont réuni des jeunes, des femmes, des agriculteurs, des décideurs politiques, des chercheurs, la société civile, le secteur privé et d’autres parties prenantes essentielles afin de définir le programme africain en matière de systèmes alimentaires. Chaque plateforme s’est conclue par un appel à l’action qui trace une feuille de route allant du dialogue à la mise en œuvre.

• Jeunesse : le Forum a affirmé que les jeunes ne sont pas la « prochaine génération », mais la génération qui transforme déjà les systèmes alimentaires africains. Les gouvernements, le secteur privé et les partenaires doivent aller au-delà des discours pour adopter des solutions proposées par les jeunes, créer de véritables voies d’accès à un travail décent et garantir la représentation des jeunes dans la prise de décision. Tout retard risque d’entraîner une instabilité ; une action urgente pourrait permettre à l’Afrique de saisir sa plus grande opportunité.
• Résilience climatique : les participants ont souligné la nécessité de mettre l’adaptation sur un pied d’égalité avec l’atténuation avant la COP30. Les priorités comprennent l’intégration de l’adaptation dans les plans nationaux, l’investissement dans l’agriculture résiliente, les infrastructures et les solutions fondées sur la nature, et le triplement du financement de l’adaptation. Le renforcement des capacités locales, la création d’emplois verts et le renforcement des partenariats inclusifs ont été considérés comme essentiels pour protéger les plus vulnérables.
• Accords et financement : le Forum a souligné que l’accès au financement est déterminant pour la transformation des systèmes alimentaires. Les investisseurs, les gouvernements et les partenaires, tant à l’intérieur qu’à l’extérieur de l’Afrique, doivent accroître leur soutien aux PME, en particulier aux entreprises dirigées par des jeunes et des femmes, afin de développer l’innovation et l’impact.
• Numérisation : le Forum a mis en avant le potentiel transformateur des technologies numériques, notamment l’IA, pour accélérer le changement. Les participants ont appelé à la mise en place d’écosystèmes numériques intégrés et collaboratifs, qui soient inclusifs, interopérables et apportent une valeur tangible aux agriculteurs et aux consommateurs.
• Nutrition et santé : le Forum a souligné l’urgence de développer des systèmes alimentaires inclusifs et sensibles à la nutrition qui garantissent une alimentation sûre, abordable et saine. La préservation du patrimoine africain en matière de cultures riches en nutriments et résistantes au climat a été identifiée comme une priorité. Les dirigeants et les experts ont profité du Forum pour élaborer un programme nutritionnel qui sauve des vies et améliore les résultats en matière de santé.
• Politiques et capacités des États : La nécessité de disposer de solides capacités institutionnelles a été réaffirmée comme étant essentielle à la mise en œuvre des engagements pris dans le cadre du PDDAA et de la Déclaration de Kampala. Les investissements dans les cadres de leadership, de capacités et de responsabilité ont été reconnus comme étant essentiels pour accélérer les résultats.
• Production durable : le Forum a appelé à une action audacieuse et coordonnée pour mettre en place des systèmes alimentaires résilients, régénérateurs et équitables. Les gouvernements, les partenaires et le secteur privé doivent promouvoir des politiques favorables, développer les innovations agroécologiques et mobiliser des financements. Les jeunes, les agriculteurs et les chercheurs ont été identifiés comme des acteurs clés dans la mise en place de solutions abordables et évolutives.
• Commerce et marchés : le Forum a mis l’accent sur une transformation des systèmes alimentaires africains axée sur le commerce, grâce à des paniers alimentaires régionaux, des corridors et des politiques alignées sur la ZLECA. Les investissements stratégiques dans les infrastructures, l’harmonisation des normes et la rationalisation des douanes ont été soulignés comme des priorités pour renforcer les chaînes de valeur et stimuler la compétitivité.
• Les femmes dans les systèmes alimentaires : le Forum a reconnu que placer les femmes au centre des systèmes alimentaires est essentiel pour l’égalité des sexes, la sécurité alimentaire et la croissance rurale. Les participants ont appelé à démanteler les inégalités structurelles, à garantir un accès équitable aux ressources et à adopter des approches transformatrices en matière d’égalité des sexes. La réduction des écarts entre les sexes a été identifiée comme un moteur de la productivité et du développement inclusif.

Récompenses et distinctions

11. L’AFSF 2025 a célébré l’excellence en matière de leadership, d’innovation et d’entrepreneuriat à travers une série de prix prestigieux qui ont récompensé et honoré les acteurs du changement en Afrique, en particulier les jeunes leaders dynamiques qui sont à l’origine de la transformation des systèmes alimentaires :

• Prix africain de l’alimentation : largement considéré comme le prix le plus prestigieux du continent pour le leadership dans le domaine des systèmes alimentaires, le prix a été décerné cette année à deux femmes remarquables : le professeur Mary Abukutsa Onyango du Kenya et le Dr Mercy Diebiru-Ojo du Nigeria. Le professeur Abukutsa a montré au monde entier le pouvoir des légumes indigènes africains pour lutter contre la malnutrition et créer des moyens de subsistance résilients. Le Dr Diebiru-Ojo a transformé les systèmes de semences de manioc et d’igname, offrant aux agriculteurs du matériel végétal exempt de maladies et des rendements plus élevés.
• Prix VALUE4HER de la femme agro-entrepreneure de l’année (WAYA) : Dirigé par l’AGRA, ce prix a récompensé des femmes exceptionnelles dans le secteur agroalimentaire africain :
  • Mathildah Amollo, Kenya – Grand prix
  • Juliet Kakwerre N Tumusiime, Ouganda – Championne de l’autonomisation des femmes
  • Julienne Olawolé Agossadou, Bénin – Leader résiliente et inspirante
  • Roberta Edu-Oyedokun, Nigeria – Entreprise à forte valeur ajoutée
  • Joyce Waithira, Kenya – Innovatrice dans le domaine des technologies agricoles
  • Onicca Sibanyona, Afrique du Sud – Jeune femme agro-entrepreneure
• Prix GoGettaz Agripreneur : Le concours GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize 2025 a attiré plus de 2 000 candidatures de jeunes entrepreneurs de toute l’Afrique. Les deux lauréats du grand prix, Naglaa Mohamed P Vita, Égypte (catégorie féminine) et Samuel Muyita Karpolax, Ouganda (catégorie masculine), ont été récompensés pour leurs projets agro-industriels à fort impact et évolutifs et ont reçu chacun 50 000 dollars américains.
• Prix Impact : un prix total de 60 000 dollars américains a été décerné à quatre lauréats – Daniel Wa Mukina, RDC ; Faïçal Abdoul, Burkina Faso ; Editha Mshiu, Tanzanie ; et Fareeda Mustapha, Ghana – en reconnaissance de leur contribution à la valeur sociale, économique et environnementale durable générée par leurs entreprises.

Preamble

1. The Africa Food Systems Forum 2025 (AFSF 2025) convened in Dakar, Senegal, from 31 August to 5 September 2025, bringing together nearly 6,000 participants from 105 countries. The Forum included 2 Heads of State and Government, 6 former Heads of State and Government, 40 Ministers spanning portfolios such as agriculture, energy, youth affairs, livestock, and finance, as well as heads of international agencies, researchers, development partners, private sector actors, farmers, civil society representatives and youth leaders.
2. Hosted under the leadership of H.E. President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, the Forum was infused with the teranga spirit of Senegal – an enduring culture of hospitality, generosity, and solidarity that fostered a vibrant and inclusive atmosphere for dialogue, collaboration, and bold commitments.
3. With the theme “Africa’s Youth: Leading Collaboration, Innovation, and Implementation of Agri-Food Systems Transformation,” the Forum highlighted the pivotal role of youth in driving Africa’s agricultural transformation through leadership, innovation, and delivery. Over 1,500 youth attended the Forum, bringing innovation, ideas and urgency.
4. Anchored in Africa’s broader policy architecture including Agenda 2063, the 10-year CAADP Strategy and Action Plan and the Kampala CAADP Declaration on Building Resilient and Sustainable Agrifood Systems in Africa (2026–2035) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), AFSF 2025 built on the momentum of previous Forums to confront persistent and emerging challenges hampering food systems transformation and to harness new and existing opportunities.
5. AFSF 2025 reaffirmed the Forum’s position as Africa’s premier platform for advancing collaborative action, policy alignment, and investment in food systems transformation, aligning with the continent’s major development frameworks and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
6. The Forum acknowledged a shifting global and regional landscape, including:

• A tightening international financing environment requiring stronger domestic resource mobilization.
• Heightened urgency to address climate vulnerability, environmental degradation, and food system fragility all of which threaten lives, livelihoods and long-term development gains.
• The transformative potential of Africa’s rapidly growing youth population, over 70% of whom are under 30, as entrepreneurs, innovators and decision-makers in the agri-food systems.

6. AFSF 2025 emphasized the urgency of leveraging the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as a historic opportunity to strengthen regional value chains, enhance competitiveness and drive inclusive economic growth especially for smallholder farmers, youth-led agribusinesses, and women entrepreneurs. Improving trade-related infrastructure, harmonizing standards, and reducing barriers to the movement of agricultural goods and services were recognized as critical enablers.
7. Recognizing the urgency to transform Africa’s food systems, the Forum reaffirmed collective commitment to inclusive, sustainable and equitable food systems transformation, with youth leadership and implementation capacity as the driving force.
8. A total of 163 plenaries, sessions, workshops, masterclasses and side events were delivered, focusing on digital agriculture, climate-smart technologies, nutrition-sensitive value chains, and youth-led innovations and policies.
9. Throughout the week, delegates engaged in high-level dialogues, technical sessions, ministerial roundtables, youth-led discussions, innovation showcases and capacity-building masterclasses, advancing a youth-led, innovation-driven and delivery-focused future for Africa’s food systems.

Thematic Platforms Calls to Action

10. AFSF 2025 was anchored in a series of dynamic thematic platforms that brought together diverse voices from across the continent, particularly of the youth and other critical constituencies whose leadership is essential to food systems transformation. The thematic platforms served as engines for shaping the Forum’s agenda of inclusive, innovation-driven and youth-led transformation, and each issued a powerful call to action that offered a roadmap for moving from dialogue to concrete commitments and tangible action.
11. The Forum’s thematic platforms brought together youth, women, farmers, policymakers, researchers, civil society, private sector and other critical stakeholder to shape Africa’s food systems agenda. Each Platform concluded with a call to action that charts a roadmap from dialogue to delivery.

• Youth: The Forum affirmed that youth are not the “next generation” but the generation already transforming Africa’s food systems. Governments, private sector, and partners must move beyond rhetoric to embrace youth-led solutions, create real pathways to decent work, and ensure youth representation in decision-making. Delay risks instability; urgent action could unlock Africa’s greatest opportunity.
• Climate Resilience: Participants emphasized elevating adaptation to equal footing with mitigation ahead of COP30. Priorities include integrating adaptation into national plans, investing in resilient farming, infrastructure, and nature-based solutions, and tripling adaptation finance. Building local capacity, creating green jobs, and strengthening inclusive partnerships were seen as essential to protect the most vulnerable.
• Deals and Financing: The Forum stressed that access to finance is decisive for food systems transformation. Investors, governments, and partners – inside and outside Africa – must expand support to SMEs, especially youth- and women-led enterprises, to scale innovation and impact.
• Digitalization: The Forum highlighted the transformative potential of digital technologies, including AI, to accelerate change. Participants called for integrated, collaborative digital ecosystems that are inclusive, interoperable, and deliver tangible value to farmers and consumers.
• Nutrition and Health: The Forum underscored the urgency of scaling inclusive, nutrition-sensitive food systems that ensure safe, affordable, and healthy diets. Safeguarding Africa’s heritage of nutrient-rich, climate-resilient crops was identified as a priority. Leaders and experts used the Forum to shape a nutrition agenda that saves lives and improves health outcomes.
• Policy and State Capability: Strong institutional capability was reaffirmed as central to delivering CAADP and Kampala Declaration commitments. Investments in leadership, capacity, and accountability frameworks were recognized as critical to accelerate results.
• Sustainable Production: The Forum called for bold, coordinated action to build resilient, regenerative, and equitable food systems. Governments, partners, and the private sector must advance enabling policies, scale agroecological innovations, and mobilize finance. Youth, farmers, and researchers were identified as key actors in driving affordable, scalable solutions.
• Trade and Markets: The Forum emphasized a trade-led transformation of Africa’s food systems through regional food baskets, corridors, and AfCFTA-aligned policies. Strategic investments in infrastructure, harmonized standards, and streamlined customs were highlighted as priorities to strengthen value chains and boost competitiveness.
• Women in Food Systems: The Forum recognized that placing women at the center of food systems is vital for gender equality, food security, and rural growth. Participants called for dismantling structural inequalities, ensuring equitable access to resources, and adopting gender-transformative approaches. Closing gender gaps was identified as a driver of productivity and inclusive development.

Awards and Recognitions

12. AFSF 2025 celebrated excellence in leadership, innovation, and entrepreneurship through a series of high-profile awards that recognized and honoured Africa’s changemakers – especially its dynamic youth leaders who are driving food systems transformation:

• Africa Food Prize: Widely regarded as the continent’s most prestigious award for food systems leadership, the Prize was this year awarded to two remarkable women: Professor Mary Abukutsa Onyango of Kenya and Dr. Mercy Diebiru-Ojo of Nigeria. Professor Abukutsa has shown the world the power of Africa’s indigenous vegetables to fight malnutrition and create resilient livelihoods. Dr. Diebiru-Ojo has transformed cassava and yam seed systems, giving farmers disease-free planting material and higher yields.
• VALUE4HER Women Agripreneur of the Year Award (WAYA): Led by AGRA, the Award celebrated exceptional women across Africa’s agri-business landscape:
  • Mathildah Amollo, Kenya – Grand Prize
  • Juliet Kakwerre N Tumusiime, Uganda – Women Empowerment Champion
  • Julienne Olawolé Agossadou, Benin – Resilient & Inspirational Leader
  • Roberta Edu-Oyedokun, Nigeria – Outstanding Value-Adding Enterprise
  • Joyce Waithira, Kenya – Female Ag-Tech Innovator
  • Onicca Sibanyona, South Africa – Young Female Agripreneur
• GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize: The 2025 GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition attracted over 2000 entries from youth entrepreneurs across Africa. Two Grand Prize winners – Naglaa Mohamed P Vita, Egypt (female category) and Samuel Muyita Karpolax, Uganda (male category) were recognized for their high-impact, scalable agribusiness ventures and received US$ 50,000 each.
• The Impact Award: A total prize of US$ 60,000 was awarded to 4 recipients – Daniel Wa Mukina, DRC; Faïçal Abdoul, Burkina Faso; Editha Mshiu, Tanzania; and Fareeda Mustapha, Ghana – acknowledging their contribution to sustained social, economic, and environmental value delivered through their enterprises.

Dakar, Senegal, Wednesday, September 03, 2025 — This morning, at Africa’s largest gathering on food and agriculture, Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF) in Dakar, Senegal, AGRA unveiled a powerful package of partnerships designed to unlock private capital, strengthen resilience, and elevate the voices of Africa’s youth.

The announcements come as the Africa Food Systems Report 2025 reveals a continent of progress and paradox: agricultural output has grown faster in Africa than anywhere else in the world at 4.3 percent annually since 2000, yet one in three African children is still stunted.

“Africa cannot afford piecemeal progress,” said Alice Ruhweza, President of AGRA. “We must seize this moment to scale inclusive innovations, attract investment, and put farmers, youth, and small businesses at the center of our food systems.”

Investing in Africa’s “Hidden Middle”

AGRA, in partnership with the Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF), launched Africa100, a catalytic initiative targeting 100 anchor firms across 12 countries. These often-overlooked small and medium sized enterprises, (the “hidden middle”), link farmers to markets, create rural jobs, and drive resilience.

AGRA also announced collaboration with the governments of Ethiopia, Malawi, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and Tanzania to establish Investible Flagships, which are national pipelines of bankable projects that advance food security, climate resilience, and youth employment.

Transforming Poultry for Nutrition and Jobs

To boost affordable protein and rural livelihoods, AGRA introduced a Poultry Transformation Package, including:

Poultry Feed Innovation Grand Challenge, with AECF and the Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions (SACAU), to unlock inclusive, cost-cutting feed solutions across Southern Africa.

Southern Africa Poultry Initiative, culminating in the first Poultry Futures Forum in Zambia in November 2025.

 Elevating Youth and Storytellers

Youth are taking center stage with new initiatives:

• A partnership with Global Citizen, the international advocacy organization, to amplify African youth voices transforming food systems and unlocking resources for agricultural-led growth.
• The Africa Media Fellowship Award, co-created with Farm Radio, nurturing the next generation of storytellers.
• A Farm Radio partnership tapping into 1,300+ stations across seven markets to reach millions of smallholder farmers directly.

“Africa’s young people are not just the future,” added Ruhweza. “They are today’s farmers, innovators, and storytellers, and their voices must shape the global food narrative.”

Linking Nutrition to Markets

In collaboration with African First Ladies and the Rockefeller Foundation, AGRA announced a School Meals Coalition that links smallholder farmers with school feeding programs, ensuring nutritious, locally sourced meals while creating steady markets for farmers.

A Call for Systemic Change

The Africa Food Systems Report 2025 warns that progress remains “real but fragmented” and calls for bold systemic transformation. AGRA’s new initiatives respond with catalytic finance, investible value chains, and platforms for youth and advocacy.

“Our message is clear,” said Ruhweza. “Africa’s food future is not just about producing more; it’s about producing better. By investing in SMEs, empowering youth, and building resilient markets, we are building systems that nourish, employ, and prosper.”

Callout Stats

• 4.3 percent: Africa’s annual agricultural output growth since 2000, the fastest globally.
• 1 in 3: African children under five still stunted.
• USD100B+: Africa’s annual food import bill.
• 1,300: Radio stations mobilized by Farm Radio.
• 100 firms: Targeted by Africa100 to unlock the “hidden middle.”

About AGRA
AGRA works with governments, the private sector, and partners to transform agriculture across Africa. Since 2006, it has supported thousands of SMEs and millions of farmers, strengthening markets, improving seed and input systems, and catalyzing investment.

Media Contact
Communications Office – AGRA
Email: communications@agra.org

By Jonathan Said

In every African market, from Dakar to Dar es Salaam, the sounds and smells of trade tell a story that is bigger than food. They are the pulse of Africa’s economic potential. Every sack of maize, every truck of tomatoes, every carton of processed juice reflects the continent’s most powerful yet underutilized driver of prosperity: its agri-food systems.

Agriculture is not simply about subsistence. It is about the structural transformation of Africa’s economies. It is about jobs in rural industries, incomes for smallholders, the growth of agro-processing, and the creation of dynamic export markets. If Africa is to industrialize and compete globally, it must begin with the sector that already employs the majority of its people and anchors rural livelihoods.

The ongoing Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF) in Dakar offers a moment to reset this narrative. This is not just a conversation about food shortages or hunger relief. It is a dialogue about how agriculture and food systems can serve as the backbone of development, powering industrialization and creating dignified work for Africa’s youth.

The scale of the opportunity is evident. Africa’s agricultural output has grown at 4.3 percent annually since 2000 — the fastest rate in the world. Yet, as the Africa Food Systems Report 2025 shows, only 12 to 15 percent of agricultural GDP comes from agro-processing, leaving much of the value captured elsewhere. That gap represents billions of dollars in lost jobs, income, and foreign exchange. Closing it is the pathway to transformation.

To seize this opportunity, we must begin with coherence and delivery. For too long, fragmented policies and abrupt shifts in regulation have discouraged investors and left farmers vulnerable. Policy coherence and delivery must come before finance. Governments must anchor agriculture and agro-processing as the backbone of their national development strategies. Meeting the 10 percent budget target agreed under the Maputo, Malabo, and Kampala Declarations is not a bureaucratic box to tick; it is a down payment on Africa’s economic independence.

Finance, while essential, must follow this clarity of vision. The truth is that Africa’s farmers, traders, and processors cannot transform the sector with scraps of credit. Donors and international development partners must step up in ways that crowd in much larger flows from development finance institutions and local investors. Development banks and international partners must be willing to blend their capital, de-risk investment, and support pipelines of bankable projects. Diaspora remittances, pension funds, and sovereign wealth can be channeled into agro-industrial growth, but only if policy and regulatory environments are clear and predictable.

At the same time, infrastructure must be scaled strategically. Less than seven percent of Africa’s cropland is irrigated. Forty percent of food produced in Sub-Saharan Africa is lost before reaching markets because of inadequate storage, poor transport, and unreliable energy. Rural roads remain largely unpaved, and electricity access averages below 30 percent in many rural areas. These are not just agricultural weaknesses; they are constraints on the broader productive economy. Investments in irrigation, logistics corridors, cold storage, and digital connectivity are investments in industrialization itself, because they allow agriculture to supply factories, processors, and exporters at scale.

This transformation must also be inclusive. Africa’s population is the youngest in the world, with nearly 60 percent under the age of 25. Women already form the backbone of food production and trade. Yet both groups remain largely excluded from the commanding heights of agricultural finance, land ownership, and policy decision-making. Unlocking their potential is not a matter of charity; it is a matter of economic necessity. Every youth-led processing venture, every women-run agribusiness, every innovation in digital agriculture is a step toward higher productivity, expanded markets, and jobs with dignity.

The prize is not just to feed Africa. It is to build an economy that exports. This is not about reducing imports, but about increasing the dynamism of Africa’s productive economy to achieve net exports of agricultural and agro-processed products. Already, intra-African agricultural trade accounts for about 43 percent of total exports. With the African Continental Free Trade Area, that share can grow further, stabilizing supply chains, adding value at home, and positioning Africa as a competitive exporter to the world.

The private sector is already stepping up across the continent. From satellite-based credit scoring in Kenya, to renewable-powered irrigation in Senegal, to cocoa processing in Ghana, innovators are showing what is possible. What is required now is for governments and donors to match that entrepreneurial energy with policy coherence, catalytic finance, and infrastructure. The task is to take what works in small pockets and scale it into regional corridors and national industries.

This is not an impossible dream. Ethiopia’s agro-industrial parks, Nigeria’s rice milling industry, and Zambia’s seed system reforms show how policy, investment, and innovation can align to shift entire value chains. Imagine this replicated across Africa’s food baskets — from West Africa’s cassava to East Africa’s horticulture to Southern Africa’s livestock. Each could become a hub of processing, trade, and export, fueling jobs not just on farms but in factories, logistics, and services.

The choice before Africa is stark. A business-as-usual path will keep us dependent on global shocks, leaving millions vulnerable to hunger and poverty. But a path of bold reform and coordinated delivery can build resilience, prosperity, and pride. This is not about aid or relief. It is about mobilizing Africa’s greatest economic asset to drive structural transformation.

Dakar must therefore be more than pledges. It must be the moment when leaders, donors, and development partners commit to pipelines of real projects, real financing, and real delivery. Africa cannot afford fragmented gains any longer. The time is for coherence, scale, and systems-level transformation.

Because this is about more than food. It is about Africa’s rightful place in the global economy. It is about our youth and our women leading industries that feed, employ, and export. It is about prosperity that is shared across rural and urban Africa alike.

We owe it to our farmers and our youth. We owe it to our children.

Said is the Vice President for Technical Expertise at AGRA, an African-led organization focused on putting farmers at the centre of the continent’s growing economy.