Africa: At Africa Food Systems Forum, African Development Bank, African Ministers Call for Push Toward Market-Driven Growth

On September 2nd, African government ministers, development partners, and private-sector leaders convened in Kigali to evaluate the African Development Bank's African Emergency Food Production Facility and outline its future steps. This $1.5 billion initiative, approved in May 2022, provided crucial agricultural support to around 20 million smallholder farmers across 34 African countries to avert immediate food shortages.

The gathering, part of the Africa Food Systems Forum hosted by the Bank Group, provided a platform for leaders to exchange experiences and insights on enhancing food system resilience in Africa.

Nigeria's Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Abubakar Kyari, highlighted the continent's structural weaknesses exposed by recent emergencies. He emphasized the need for diversified food sources, a financing model combining public, concessional, and private capital, and transparent strategic food reserves to build more resilient food systems.

Bernard Kine Comoé, Minister Delegate of Cote d'Ivoire's Ministry of Agriculture, credited the Bank and Japan International Cooperation Agency for co-financing a project that improved farmers' access to fertilizers and seeds, thereby boosting yields of cassava, maize, and rice.

Emmanuel Mbetide Bessane, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Central African Republic, mentioned a Bank-financed $5.4 million project that enhanced cassava, maize, and rice production while strengthening national research capacity. The Japan International Cooperation Agency's (JICA) vice president, Seisuke Inoue, stressed the importance of treating food system preparedness as an investment in public goods, citing irrigation, extension services, and partnerships like the Coalition for African Rice Development as examples of successful investments.

Dr. Innocent Musabyimana, Bank Group Chief Agricultural Technologies Officer, reported that the Facility had reached nearly 15 million farmers, producing 45 million metric tons of food, and delivering over 400,000 metric tons of certified seed and 3 million metric tons of fertilizers, with about $300 million mobilized from partners.

Dr. Martin Fregene, Officer in Charge of the Bank's Agriculture, Human and Social Development Vice Presidency, highlighted successes such as Nigeria's four-fold increase in wheat production and Cote d'Ivoire's doubling of maize output, while warning that future food system resilience requires market-driven sustainable business models, reliable access to credit, insurance, and marketplaces for farmers to sell their yields.

Dr. Simeon Ehui, Director General of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, urged leaders, researchers, and farmers to focus on creating technologies easily accessible to broader food systems to better nourish communities. Everlyn Musyoka, Strategy Lead Africa for smallholder business at Bayer Crop Science, advocated for stronger digital infrastructure, youth-focused policies, and deeper public-private partnerships.

African Union Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment, Moses Vilakati, recommended aligning emergency financing with the agricultural calendar, scaling technology deployment, and reinforcing national systems instead of circumventing them. He called for deepening strategic partnerships and increasing investment in preparedness measures ahead of future shocks.