Kampala, Uganda | THE BLACK EXAMINER | During the Norman E. Borlaug dialogue hosted by the World Food Prize Foundation in Des Moines, Iowa, on October 27, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), conveyed the exciting news that Africa’s food and agribusiness industry is poised to reach the remarkable milestone of $1 trillion by 2030. The event, which focused on the theme of “harnessing change,” united delegates and experts to explore creative approaches to bolster innovation, adaptation, diversification, and mechanisms for enhancing resilience, recovery from shocks, and sustainable systems for global food production.

The African Development Bank, at the forefront of the efforts to feed Africa, played a pivotal role in the Borlaug Dialogue. During a session titled “From Dakar 2 to Des Moines” on October 27, Dr. Adesina underscored the accomplishments of the Dakar 2 summit, a collaborative initiative organized by the Bank, the Senegalese government, and the African Union. Notably, 34 African leaders have already endorsed country food and agriculture delivery compacts, which have yielded action-driven plans to ensure food security and unlock the continent’s full agricultural potential within five years. This aligns with the core principles of the Bank’s Feed Africa strategy, launched in 2016, which has provided support to over 250 million people, benefiting from enhanced agricultural technologies.

To further fuel progress, the AfDB has committed $853 million to public-sector initiated Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZs) and successfully mobilized $661 million in co-financing alongside partner organizations. Together, these partners are investing over $1.5 billion to establish 25 agro-industrial zones and supporting ecosystems in 13 countries. Dr. Adesina extended an invitation to investors and stakeholders to invest with confidence in Africa’s food and agribusiness sector, emphasizing the strong political will and the promising results on the ground.

Dr. Adesina noted that partners have already pledged over $70 billion to support the food compacts, with the AfDB committing to provide $10 billion over the next five years. The Dakar 2 Summit exemplifies the united determination of African leaders to ensure self-sufficiency in food production across the continent.

Numerous global leaders are actively working to bolster food production and security in Africa, exemplified by their participation in the landmark global Feed Africa summit in Dakar, known as the Dakar 2 Summit, last January. Africa, home to 65% of the world’s uncultivated arable land, currently imports a substantial portion of its food. African leaders are determined to transition their countries into self-sufficient food producers and exporters, recognizing the pressing need to increase agricultural productivity to meet the rising global demand for food by 2050.

At the Borlaug Dialogue, President Sahle-Work Zewde of Ethiopia shared that African leaders are firmly committed to achieving self-sufficiency in food production. Using Ethiopia as an example, she proudly stated that, for the first time in the country’s history, Ethiopia has become self-sufficient in wheat production and is now exporting wheat to neighboring countries. This groundbreaking achievement was facilitated by the AfDB’s Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) initiative, which distributed over 100,000 tons of certified seeds of heat-tolerant wheat varieties, resulting in a 1.6 million metric ton increase in Ethiopia’s wheat production in 2023.

Furthermore, Kashim Shettima, the Vice President of Nigeria, emphasized the critical importance of leadership in the quest to feed Africa and advance the continent. He stressed that the quality of leadership plays a pivotal role in a nation’s success or failure.

The African Development Bank’s initiatives to feed Africa received significant praise from Ambassador Kenneth M. Quinn, President Emeritus of the World Food Prize Foundation, and the Foundation’s President, Ambassador Terry Branstad. In January of this year, the AfDB played a leading role in convening the “Feed Africa Summit” in Dakar, Senegal, where heads of state from across the continent joined forces to mobilize and align government resources, development partners, and private sector financing to unleash Africa’s food production potential.

By removing barriers to agricultural development and making new investments, it is estimated that Africa’s agricultural output could grow nearly fivefold from its current $280 billion by 2030. Agriculture development experts underscore the importance of investing in raising agricultural productivity, supporting infrastructure, implementing climate-smart agricultural systems, and encouraging private sector investments throughout the food value chain to transform Africa into a global breadbasket.

In September, during the Africa Food Systems Summit held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, calls were made to African leaders to build more robust food systems and promote food sovereignty, placing youth and women at the forefront. In conjunction with Africa’s annual agriculture summit, the African Development Bank Group organized a food sovereignty and resilience event, bringing together ministers of agriculture from various African countries, including Tanzania, Sierra Leone, the Gambia, and Guinea Bissau, as well as development partners and private sector stakeholders. They discussed the implementation, progress, and outcomes of the Dakar 2 Summit in their respective nations.

At the same event, the Gambia and Sierra Leone highlighted developments in rice, cassava, and livestock value chains. Private sector and development partners from the CGIAR, the World Bank, and IFAD stressed the pivotal roles of the private sector, science, integrated public policies, and political will in achieving food security and resilience in Africa.

Dr. Martin Fregene, the AfDB’s Director of Agriculture and Agro-industrialization, emphasized that the 2023 Africa Food Systems Forum represents a critical moment for highlighting and unlocking innovation. It provides an opportunity to assess the political, policy, and financial commitments made by African countries to establish productive, nutritious, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable food systems on the continent.

Tanzania’s Minister of Agriculture, Hussein Mohamed Bashe, declared, “Africa has to wash away the shame of not being able to feed itself,” highlighting the critical importance of food self-sufficiency for Tanzania.

In a separate development, during the DRC Agribusiness Forum in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) announced its intention to invest over $6.6 billion in its agricultural transformation program over the next decade, with the aim of becoming the continent’s food basket. This initiative, supported by the African Development Bank and the International Finance Corporation, sought to stimulate private sector investment in agricultural value chains and enhance agribusiness in the resource-rich Central African country.

The DRC Government emphasized its commitment to making agricultural transformation a key driver of development, with the establishment of a taskforce to monitor the implementation of recommendations from the Forum. This investment aligns with the goal of reducing the country’s economic dependence on the extractive sector and promoting agricultural potential.

The African Development Bank committed all available allocations to the Agriculture Transformation Programme in the DRC during the 2023-2025 African Development Fund (ADF)-16 cycle, as requested by the DRC Government. This program is central to the Bank’s Country Strategy Paper for the DRC over the next five years.

In summary, Africa’s agricultural and agribusiness sector is poised for remarkable growth, with ambitious targets set for 2030. The African Development Bank, in collaboration with African leaders and partners, is playing a pivotal role in driving these transformative initiatives to achieve food security, self-sufficiency, and prosperity across the continent.