Category: Blog

Senegal has everything it needs to thrive in agriculture — fertile soil, generations of know-how, and a rising wave of youthful innovation. So why is the country still importing so much of its food, especially rice? Each person in Senegal eats around 100 kilos of rice a year, but local farms produce less than half of that. And it’s not just rice. This reliance on imports runs across nearly all food products.

It’s not just a supply issue, it’s structural. The core problem is that we’re exporting value. Like many African nations, Senegal is stuck in a cycle: farmers grow excellent crops, but there’s limited local capacity to turn them into finished products. So, we export raw goods at low prices, only to buy them back later at a premium. That’s money, jobs, and opportunity leaving the country.

Take cashews. In 2021, Senegal grew about 8 million kilos — but processed only 5% of them locally. Imagine the extra income and jobs if we closed that loop. That gap between raw materials and finished products? It’s called the value gap, and it’s holding us back.

But change is already in motion. Across West Africa and the Sahel, young entrepreneurs are building businesses that are high-tech, environmentally smart, and people-first. They’re not waiting for permission — they’re getting on with it.

In Senegal, Arristine Mendes is transforming aquaculture with her company Shaddaï Aquaculture. She’s developed fish feed from alternative proteins, cutting out the need for fishmeal and reducing overfishing. It’s cheaper for farmers, better for the planet, and boosts local fish production. In a country where fish is essential, that’s a big deal. No surprise she won the 2024 GoGettaz Agripreneur Catalyst Award.

In Ghana, Dr. Iddi Mohammed Faried is tackling two challenges with one powerful idea. His company, Kodu Technology, turns banana waste into biodegradable sanitary pads, helping girls stay in school during their periods and reducing waste. Affordable, eco-friendly, and empowering? That’s the kind of innovation the region needs more of.

Over in Côte d’Ivoire, Salimata Toh is reimagining banana waste. Her business, AGRIBANANA, transforms discarded stems into biodegradable packaging and paper. It supports the environment and opens up a new income stream for smallholder farmers, especially women. Less plastic, more opportunity.

And in Nigeria, Ikenna Nzewi’s company Releaf Africa is revolutionising palm oil processing. His machine, the Kraken, can process 500kg of palm nuts per hour and cuts costs by more than 80%. That’s a game-changer for small farmers who’ve long relied on outdated, inefficient tools. With Releaf, they can waste less and earn more.

This isn’t just hype, it’s a movement

These stories are proof that youth-led innovation is driving real change. We’re seeing:

• More local jobs
• Less waste
• Climate-smart solutions
• Stronger food systems with less dependency on imports

By turning waste into value and keeping more of the process local, these young businesses are unlocking serious potential. And in a world shaken by supply chain crises, from COVID-19 to the war in Ukraine, this kind of local resilience matters more than ever.

What’s next: all eyes on Dakar

This September, the Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF 2025) heads to Dakar — where leaders from across the continent will gather to discuss the future of food, sustainability, and innovation.

Crucially, the forum is spotlighting people like Dr. Faried, Salimata Toh, Ikenna Nzewi, and Arristine Mendes — because the future isn’t arriving from the outside. It’s already here, built from the ground up by bold young thinkers.

See you in Senegal.

Do you know a bold thinker, grassroots leader or pioneering institution who is transforming agriculture in Africa?


Nominations are open for the Africa Food Prize 2025 – with a US $100,000 award and the opportunity to be recognised as one of the continent’s most influential voices in food systems.

The winner will be announced this September in Dakar, Senegal during the Africa Food Systems Forum 2025 – Africa’s leading platform for bold ideas, policy action and leadership in agriculture.

The deadline for entries is approaching quickly, with an extended deadline of the 30th June. Nominate now via africafoodprize.org

What makes the Africa Food Prize unmissable?

• Win US $100,000 to support your work and scale your impact
• Be recognised on a continental platform dedicated to African-led solutions
• Amplify your voice and model across networks of policymakers, investors and practitioners
• Help inspire the next generation of food system leaders

Spotlight on past winners

From smallholder champions to research trailblazers and institutional pioneers, the Africa Food Prize celebrates those who are moving African agriculture forward – from subsistence to sustainability, and from survival to success. Meet past winners below! 

• In 2024, Tinotenda Mhiko, CEO of Zimbabwe’s Agricultural and Rural Development Authority (ARDA), received the award for his role in revolutionising irrigation infrastructure, unlocking amplified production and food system resilience.
• In 2023, the Pan-Africa Bean Research Alliance (PABRA) was honoured for developing 650+ improved bean varieties that feed over 37 million people across Africa – boosting nutrition and climate resilience at scale.

Earlier laureates include:

• Dr Eric Danquah, who founded the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI) in Ghana, training a generation of plant breeders who have released over 60 improved seed varieties.
• Dr Emma Naluyima, a Ugandan vet-turned-farmer who built a thriving, circular farm on just one acre, generating $100,000 a year for the farm and mentoring thousands of other farmers.
• Baba Dioum from Senegal, a veteran policymaker who played a key role in advancing cross-border trade and elevating agriculture on regional and continental agendas, including his key role in advancing the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP).

Who should apply?

The Africa Food Prize looks to celebrate individuals, institutions or initiatives that are:

• Reducing hunger or improving food and nutrition security in measurable ways
• Providing sustainable sources of income or employment
• Demonstrating scalable, replicable, and sustainable impact
• Leading with vision, perseverance, and collaboration—even in the face of challenges

Help us recognise the pioneers rewriting Africa’s food story and give their ideas the spotlight they deserve.

Nominations close 30 June 2025.
Nominate now via africafoodprize.org

By Enock Chikava, Director, Agricultural Delivery Systems, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

After the recent 2024 Africa Food Systems Forum in Kigali, one key theme stands out: the need to prioritize food and nutrition security within Africa’s broader climate agenda. This urgency cannot be overstated.

Africa is at the forefront of an escalating climate crisis that is disrupting food systems across the continent. Globally, the last decade has been the hottest on record. For Africa, the effects are already evident. Droughts, floods, mudslides, and storms have become more frequent and severe, and these extreme weather events are crippling the continent’s agricultural productivity, leaving millions vulnerable to hunger and malnutrition.

If current climate trends persist, the consequences for Africa’s agricultural output will be severe. Projections indicate that by 2030, crop yields could drop by nearly 3 percent, with a sharper decline of up to 18 percent by 2050. These declines would put 200 million people at risk of extreme hunger by 2050.

This crisis is made worse by rising temperatures, which affect not just the amount of food smallholder farmers can grow, but also its quality. Higher levels of atmospheric carbon diminish the nutritional value of staple crops, reducing their essential nutrients like zinc, iron, and protein. This double threat—lower production volume and worsening quality—heightens the urgency of focusing on climate-resilient crops that can withstand the pressures of climate change to provide nutritious diets.

The conversations in Kigali brought light to the role of climate-resilient and nutrient-dense crops in addressing these dual challenges. My three major takeaways from the forum highlight the actions required to secure the continent’s future food systems:

1. Local knowledge is vital for enhancing food security and climate resilience. Africa’s diverse communities possess a wealth of knowledge on food sources, agricultural practices, and climate adaptation strategies. This knowledge needs to be paired with climate-smart innovations that accelerate progress. Combining traditional practices with new innovations, like AI-powered weather prediction services, offers a pathway to improve hunger and nutrition while adapting to changing environmental conditions.

2. High-nutrient crop varieties tailored to Africa’s needs can transform food systems. Several crop varieties have already been developed to help communities get the nutrients they need. Two standout examples are the orange-fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) and iron-rich beans. OFSP is particularly promising due to its high vitamin A content and drought resistance, allowing it to thrive in some of the continent’s most challenging environments. Similarly, iron-rich beans offer multiple benefits, providing essential nutrients like protein and minerals while being environmentally sustainable. These crops demonstrate the power of innovation to address both nutritional deficits and climate change.

3. Agricultural policies must prioritize local production and intra-Africa trade.
   Localized production is crucial because it helps diversify food systems, making communities less dependent on imported staples that can be expensive and less nutritious. By investing in local food systems and trade within Africa, smallholder farmers can improve food security, reduce transportation costs, and increase their resilience to climate challenges.

The stakes are high, but so is Africa’s potential to build a more resilient, nutritious, and sustainable food system. What emerged from Kigali was a recognition that the continent has the resources, innovations, and knowledge to solve its nutrition and climate challenges. Yet, success will require concerted efforts from all sectors—governments, philanthropy, private industry, researchers, and communities alike.

The potential of regenerative agriculture to transform food systems was a key theme at this year’s Africa Food Systems Forum. Our partner SNV released a position paper going into the detail of how regenerative agriculture can address urgent challenges like soil degradation, biodiversity loss, and climate resilience.

This repost highlights insights from SNV’s position on regenerative agriculture, focusing on practical, scalable practices for African farmers. For a full breakdown of their recommendations, read the position paper here.

In an era of rapid change, our global agri-food systems face unprecedented challenges. A growing population, particularly in urban centres, alongside the impacts of climate change, shifting consumption patterns, limited natural resources, and increasing human-induced conflicts, necessitate a comprehensive reassessment of how we produce and distribute food.

The need for a paradigm shift

For decades, we focused on only increasing productivity and efficiency through technological advancements such as improved seeds and fertilisers as well as through achieving economies of scale. While this approach was successful in Europe, the USA, and parts of Asia, its effectiveness has been markedly less in Africa. We have seen negative consequences in intensive systems as overuse and wrong use of fertilisers and chemicals resulting in declining soil health, groundwater pollution, and loss of biodiversity. In Africa, low use of external inputs on already degraded soils contributed to further degradation and the expansion of agricultural land at the expense of natural habitats, having a negative impact on biodiversity.

So, what do we need to do differently? We need to work towards a sustainable and resilient agri-food system which can deliver food security and adequate nutrition for people in all their diversity in such a way that the economic, social, and environmental bases are safeguarded for future generations.

A lot of what needs to be done is known: most farmers, scientists, extension services, and private sector know the essentials of what we call Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs). However, in the quest to increase production, to reduce the price of food, to maximise profits, many of these principles are no longer practised. In many contexts, we have lost a focus on maintaining soil health and regenerating soils, on improving biodiversity and ecosystems, on the optimum instead of maximum use of resources and inputs. But new challenges such as climate change also require more drastic innovations such as drought-resistant seeds and sustainable water management and small-scale irrigation. Not to forget addressing reducing food loss and waste.

The recent attention given by policymakers, private sector, development organisations, and donors towards Regenerative Agriculture will accelerate to rethink and change the future development of our Agri Food Systems. However, we don’t need dogmatic and simplistic approaches. What is needed are existing and new GAPs, focus on soil health and high-quality seeds, demonstrating practices using smart combinations of external and locally available and recyclable materials that work in specific contexts and that are scalable and are accessible for many of the small and medium-size farmers.

Mobilising collective efforts for change

The health of our planet depends on the health of its ecosystem, and a sustainable Agri-food system is crucial for achieving this goal. We know the direction, and we have the technology, so let’s give this priority. All actors in the agri-food system should get to work!

Benoit Gnonlonfin

Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS), Global Program Lead, CABI

Intra-African trade in agricultural commodities can transform Africa into a food-secure region, especially as climate change increasingly affects markets. However, without strict food safety guidelines, cross-border trade risks distributing unsafe food.

In 2005, Nigeria benefited from bumper harvests due to favorable weather and effective policies that improved access to farm inputs. In contrast, neighboring Niger faced extreme food shortages due to severe drought and locust invasions, leading to widespread hunger and malnutrition despite the food surplus in Nigeria.

In 2017, regions of Ethiopia had a successful season due to sufficient rainfall that year. However, in South Sudan, a neighbouring country, there was famine exacerbated by severe drought and conflict. Food from Ethiopia could not be supplied due to a lack of infrastructure and political instability.

Improving trade can unlock significant benefits, as highlighted in the 2023 Africa Agriculture Trade Monitor report: “In addition to promoting economic growth through broader market access, trade also has clear potential to improve food security by increasing the availability of and access to food through a variety of channels.”

The report further explains that one of the most important avenues to greater food security is through increased incomes from trade, which boosts consumers’ purchasing power, allowing them to consume more and better-quality and safe food.

In short, increased trade will mean more income for farming communities, creation of jobs, enabling them to purchase whatever they need. It also means there will be a greater variety of food in the market from different quarters, giving consumers a wider range to choose from, thereby improving their nutritional standards.

Boosting trade

Agenda 2063, the African Union’s (AU) blueprint for economic development, prioritizes agricultural growth. This is outlined in the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) and further elaborated in the Malabo Declaration on Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation for Shared Prosperity and Improved Livelihoods.

With the launch of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in March 2018, such commitments seek to harness market and trade opportunities locally, regionally, and internationally.

For instance, Agenda 2063 envisions a food secure continent with sustainable farming techniques that will be instrumental in reducing poverty, hunger and malnutrition, while CAADP provides a clear framework for acceleration of agricultural growth, thereby encouraging countries to dedicate at least 10% of their budgets to agriculture.

The AfCFTA, which is a flagship project of Agenda 2063, creates a free trade area for all African countries with a population of over 1.3 billion. By eliminating tariffs and reducing non-tariff barriers, it encourages intra-African trade to ensure that farmers have a wider market for their enhanced harvests.

Mitigating risk

However, expanding intra-African trade in agricultural commodities must be managed carefully to prevent the increased risk of unsafe food, which could reverse gains in food security and reintroduce previously controlled health risks.

Studies show that Africa is the greatest contributor to the burden of unsafe foods in the world. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Africa accounts for nearly one-third of global deaths from food-borne diseases, with approximately 137,000 fatalities out of 420,000 annually. At the same time, unsafe food leads to productivity losses of about US$95 billion a year in low and middle-income countries.

It is imperative we take steps to improve food safety at the national, regional, and international levels to ensure proper application and harmonization of food standards. According to Amb. Josepha Sacko, the Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, improved implementation and harmonization of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) systems is critical to ensuring that any agricultural trade protects human, animal and plant health.

The SPS agreement under the World Trade Organization (WTO) focuses on how governments can apply sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures and regulations to ensure human health, plant health, animal health, and food and feed safety. However, adhering to the SPS measures has been difficult for some importing countries, leading to limited market access for low- and middle-income economies.

The African Union (AU) introduced the SPS Policy Framework in 2014. This framework was developed to help AU member states align their SPS measures with international standards, thereby enhancing intra-African trade, access to global markets, and food safety. So far, the AU SPS Policy Framework lays out a roadmap to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of SPS systems on the continent to protect human health and facilitate intra-African trade.

CABI’s SPS strategy for 2024-2034 focuses on strengthening sustainable SPS capacity through three core outcomes addressing diverse needs across member countries.

Outcome 1: Increased synergies and collaboration of stakeholders to drive catalytic SPS improvement. This is a continuation and building on ongoing initiatives. Working at a global, regional, and national level, CABI will facilitate, convene, and connect relevant stakeholders who have the potential to play a key role in SPS capacity development in CABI’s member countries and beyond.

Outcome 2: Improved regional and national SPS institutional capacity for effective participation, greater access to, and use of best practices and knowledge products.

This is a continuation and building on ongoing initiatives. CABI will facilitate and deliver core, member-driven activities to build, strengthen, pilot and learn from collaborative and innovative approaches in developing SPS capacity.

Outcome 3: SPS research in tertiary education strengthened. This is a new area of work. Working with partners, CABI will create an interdisciplinary, experiential SPS research model and tertiary education that will address and focus on the rapidly emerging need for innovations at the nexus of food security, food safety, agricultural productivity and economics from local to global scales.

When executed with strict adherence to food safety standards, intra-African trade could become the cornerstone for transforming food systems across the continent. Improved agricultural productivity, expanded market access, and enhanced regional cooperation through frameworks like AfCFTA and CAADP will reduce post-harvest losses, give consumers access to a greater variety of safe foods, and significantly decrease poverty, hunger, and malnutrition.

By Dr Rebecca McLaren, MD, MPH, Research Advisor, GAIN, Ty Beal, PhD Senior Technical Specialist at GAIN and Stella Nordhagen, Senior Technical Specialist at GAIN

The 2024 Africa Food Systems Forum is centred on the theme, “Innovate, Accelerate, and Scale: Delivering Food Systems Transformation in a Digital and Climate Era.” As the continent faces unprecedented challenges, from climate shocks to economic pressures, the Forum seeks to accelerate the adoption of digital tools to revolutionize food systems and tackle these pressing issues.

The Food Systems Dashboard: a critical tool for transformation

At the heart of this digital transformation is the Food Systems Dashboard, a powerful tool that allows users to easily access and analyze food systems data. This innovative platform enables stakeholders to set priorities for action and track progress, providing crucial insights into the effectiveness of policies and interventions.

The Food Systems Dashboard stands out by bringing together diverse country-level and subnational data across all food system components. It compiles 300 indicators from over 40 public and private sources, presenting this wealth of information in simple, visually appealing graphics. This comprehensive approach gives policymakers, researchers, and other stakeholders a complete view of food systems, including their drivers, components, and outcomes. Moreover, the Dashboard offers in-depth analysis and guidance on how users can effectively leverage this data to identify gaps, monitor progress, and develop impactful interventions.

For instance, the Dashboard includes indicators on food affordability, diet quality, agricultural productivity, and climate vulnerability. A measure of food affordability on the FSD is the percentage of the population unable to afford a healthy diet. This indicates the share of the population whose food budget is less than the cost of a healthy diet. The FSD includes several measures of diet quality from the Global Diet Quality Project, such as minimum dietary diversity for women (MDD-W). This newly proposed SDG indicator reflects the share of women who consumed at least the minimum recommended food groups the previous day, which makes it more likely they consume adequate micronutrients. For those wanting to look at the climate impacts of food systems, the FSD contains indicators on agri-food systems greenhouse gas emissions as well as the emissions intensity for important food groups. The indicators on the FSD allow policymakers to quickly assess areas of strength and weakness in their food systems, and to track progress over time.

Addressing Africa’s unique challenges

Africa stands at a critical juncture. The continent faces a complex web of challenges, including conflicts disrupting food supply systems, economic shocks making nutritious diets unaffordable, and climate-related events reducing agricultural production capacity. Coupled with a growing population, these factors underscore the urgent need for transformative solutions in African food systems.

To address these challenges, several African countries are leveraging the power of the Food Systems Dashboard at a sub-national level. Nigeria, Kenya, and Mozambique have already launched unique country dashboards, with Rwanda currently developing its own. These tailored and more detailed dashboards are created in close partnership with national governments and local stakeholders, with the ultimate goal of full country ownership. This approach ensures that the data and insights provided are directly relevant to each country’s unique food system challenges and opportunities.

Empowering data-driven decision making

The Food Systems Dashboard enables governments to develop policies rooted in facts and objective analysis. This data-driven approach leads to more informed, targeted, and impactful policy decisions, addressing food system issues more effectively. Moreover, it increases government accountability and transparency in the decision-making process.

By leveraging the insights provided by the Dashboard, countries can enhance local food production, develop resilience to climate crises, and ultimately uplift African livelihoods. This aligns perfectly with the Africa Food Systems Forum’s vision of harnessing the continent’s potential to tackle global challenges.

A collaborative effort for global impact

The Food Systems Dashboard is led by The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, The Columbia Climate School, Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, with collaborators at many other institutions. This collaborative effort ensures that the Dashboard remains a cutting-edge tool in the global effort to transform food systems.

As we look towards the 2024 Africa Food Systems Forum, the Food Systems Dashboard stands as a testament to the power of digital innovation in addressing complex food system challenges. By providing accessible, comprehensive data and analysis, it empowers stakeholders across Africa and beyond to make informed decisions, develop effective policies, and drive meaningful change in their food systems.

The transformation of African food systems in the face of climate change and population growth is no small task. However, with tools like the Food Systems Dashboard, we are better equipped than ever to innovate, accelerate, and scale solutions that will ensure food security and sustainability for generations to come.

Over the last two decades, multiple food system convenings have been held across Africa, during which significant declarations and partnerships have been announced.

In 2003, for example, African Union (AU) leaders met in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, and committed to increasing their national budget allocations to agriculture development to at least 10 percent. Two years later, recognizing the need to accelerate the restoration of Africa’s depleted soils, AU heads made the Abuja Declaration, pinning them to increase their national fertilizer application to at least 50 Kg/ha.

The Maputo commitment was reaffirmed in 2014 in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, in addition to multiple other pledges around agricultural development, poverty reduction, and nutrition, all to be achieved by 2025.  A year later, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted by all United Nations members, creating 17 world Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity.

Just recently, in 2023, at the Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, a resolve was made to accelerate climate funding to avert impending challenges affecting African countries, notably their agri-food sectors.

With the above events in mind, various other pledges have been made by governments, the private sector, and other stakeholders, all of which have pushed for the acceleration of food system transformation objectives.

Unfortunately, nearly all deadlines have been missed, with the continent being significantly off track for the pending ones, notably the Malabo Declaration (2025) and the SDGs (2030).

However, a turnaround may be achieved by shunning the business-as-usual approach and establishing transparent and collaborative partnerships that hold all stakeholders accountable. Accountability mechanisms encourage stakeholders to work together towards shared goals, leveraging their respective strengths and resources. With precise accountability mechanisms in place, financial, human, and technological resources can be allocated more efficiently while reducing the duplication of efforts and ensuring that investments are targeted toward initiatives with the most significant impact.

In this regard, governments should urgently develop and enforce policies that promote transparency to the already-established commitments. This is as other stakeholders, including the private sector and civil society, commit to pursuing accountability at the community level.

Thankfully, all the continental pledges and commitments made so far are supported by reporting processes and monitoring tools, which comprise trackable indicators that can pinpoint existing loopholes.

We can start with Malabo, enforced by the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP), a reporting programme comprising a Biennial Review process highlighting the progress and areas needing attention to actualize critical food security and nutrition goals. The fourth Biennial Review (BR4) report was released earlier this year, with all 49 reviewed countries needing to catch up in achieving the Malabo Declaration goals. Six countries did not participate, two more than in BR3 when Rwanda was the only country on track.

Against this backdrop, all stakeholders are now called to accelerate the actions under review by the CAADP. If achieved as envisaged, this will fast-track the primary food system objectives, forming the foundation of many other continental agendas.

-ENDS