Africa’s $100 billion dilemma: Plans or promises

ARGUABLY, the summit held from January 9th to 11th, 2025, was among the most significant, centred on enhancing agricultural productivity, boosting public investment in agriculture and driving economic growth through agriculture-led initiatives.

Its ultimate goal was to explore strategies to help African nations eradicate hunger across the continent and address rising poverty levels.

In recent years, African governments have shown a preference for increasing imports of basic agricultural commodities that could be grown domestically.

Discussions during their ministerial meetings appear to have largely excluded import substitution policies, focusing instead on approving substantial budgets for agricultural imports from foreign suppliers.

The African Union (AU) has spent years developing an agricultural programme aimed at achieving food security and reducing poverty across the continent.

This innovative initiative is a key component of the broader AU Agenda 2063. Regarded as the most ambitious and comprehensive agricultural reform in Africa’s history, it was initially launched in 2003 following the Maputo Declaration and later reaffirmed in 2014 with the Malabo Declaration in Equatorial Guinea.

This programme has become the cornerstone framework for promoting agricultural transformation in Africa, marking a significant move toward development that is intended to be entirely led and managed by African governments.

ALSO READ: Tanzania set to become Africa’s food basket

The early January summit in Kampala, attended by Agriculture Ministers from all 55 AU member states, focused on implementing the 10-year programme. Scheduled to run from 2026 to 2035, the initiative aims to promote investment, strengthen partnerships and empower vulnerable smallholder farmers.

The programme’s development, spanning a decade and undergoing a rigorous review process, began with the Malabo Declaration in Equatorial Guinea in 2014 and concluded in Kampala, Uganda, in 2025.

It was crafted through the collaborative efforts of diverse stakeholders, including Regional Economic Communities, African experts, researchers, farmers’ organisations, development partners, parliamentarians, private sector groups, women in agriculture and youth organisations.

A 10-year initiative has been developed to tackle Africa’s pressing food security challenges by advancing climateresilient agriculture, improving infrastructure, reducing food waste and enhancing regional trade in agricultural goods.

The programme seeks to provide sustainable solutions to help the continent achieve selfsufficiency in food production. According to an official statement, Africa’s food security remains a critical concern, exacerbated by climate change, conflicts, rapid population growth and economic disruptions, leaving over 280 million people suffering from chronic hunger as food systems struggle to meet growing demands.

ALSO READ: Africa urged to strengthen fiscal buffers for debt challenges

At the ministerial meeting in Kampala, Uganda’s Prime Minister, Robinah Nabbanja, highlighted key statistics emphasising Africa’s agricultural potential, including its fertile soils, vast arable land, abundant freshwater and a population with 60 per cent engaged in farming. She expressed deep regret over the continent’s staggering food import bill, which amounts to 100 billion US dollars annually.

Urging decisive action, she called on the summit to develop concrete strategies to address this challenge, stating passionately, “to secure our future as Africans, we must take responsibility for feeding ourselves.” Ambassador Josefa Sacko, Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment at the African Union, underscored the importance of a new strategy designed to revolutionise Africa’s agrifood sector.

The initiative seeks to boost food production, enhance value addition, promote intra-Africa trade and generate employment opportunities, particularly for women and youth.

It also aims to create inclusive and resilient agrifood systems capable of enduring future challenges, while ensuring equitable access to resources for women, youth and marginalised groups. Strengthening governance through data-driven decisionmaking and improving accountability among stakeholders are also key priorities of this comprehensive plan.

Ethiopia’s Minister for Agriculture, Dr Girma Amente, shared how the country has incorporated the objectives of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Strategy and Action Plan 2026–2035 into its National Agricultural Investment Plan (NAIP).

He highlighted the leadership role of Ethiopian Prime Minister Dr Abiy Ahmed, who champions the CAADP initiative.

“The strategy underscores the need to boost public investment in agriculture, a key factor in meeting the CAADP objectives,” explained Dr Girma Amente.

He noted that Ethiopia has significantly increased its agricultural budget and consistently achieved the CAADP’s annual growth target of 6.0 per cent.

The implementation of the National Agricultural Investment Plan (NAIP) has led to steady improvements in agricultural output, including higher crop yields and increased food and livestock production, while also making notable progress in meeting CAADP’s resilience goals.

Frank Tumwebaze, Uganda’s Minister for Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, who spearheaded the development of the CAADP Strategy and Action Plan as Chair of the AU’s Specialised Technical Committee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment, stressed the importance of moving swiftly into the implementation phase following the summit.

ALSO READ: How China contributes to Africa’s industrial development

“As the planning phase of the Kampala CAADP Agenda concludes with this summit, it is essential to focus on execution,” Tumwebaze remarked.

He underscored the need for proactive steps, including leveraging advancements in agricultural technology, building climate-resilient farming systems and fostering agroindustrialisation, to drive transformative progress across the continent.

The Kampala summit, though ambitious in its goals to drive agricultural transformation and enhance food systems in Africa, ultimately fell short of delivering the decisive actions needed to address the continent’s pressing challenges.

Despite decades of planning and a comprehensive strategy under the CAADP framework, the event leaned heavily on high-level rhetoric rather than practical solutions.

The continued reliance of many African nations on food imports—at the expense of investing in local agricultural systems—reflects a persistent unwillingness to disrupt the status quo. While the emphasis on boosting productivity, fostering resilience and empowering vulnerable farmers is commendable, the lack of concrete measures and accountability frameworks undermines the potential impact of the 10-year strategy.

Without immediate and unified action, Africa risks missing another opportunity to achieve sustainable food security and economic self-reliance, leaving millions vulnerable to hunger and poverty.

_{Images are for reference only.Images and contents gathered automatic from google or 3rd party sources.All rights on the images and contents are with their legal original owners.}