At a conference currently taking place in Senegal, African heads of state and development partners will debate methods to boost Africa’s agricultural production. A large portion of Africa now faces unstable food security due to a combination of factors, including climate change, skyrocketing inflation, and the effects of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
It has been widely agreed upon throughout the three-day conference that it is time for Africa to stop depending on food imports.
According to the African Development Bank, which hosted the conference, the continent has enough arable land to feed 9 billion people, yet it spends $75 billion annually importing more than 100 million metric tonnes of food.
Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank, stated that “Only a secure continent can prosper with pride.” Because asking for food is not an act of pride. The time is appropriate. “And the time is now,” he continues. “It is my deep desire and determination that Africa feed itself.”
According to U.N. statistics, there are over 282 million hungry people in Africa, and a protracted drought has brought Madagascar and the Horn of Africa to the verge of catastrophe.
Recent hiccups in the world’s food supply system have made things worse.
According to the African Development Bank, prices for oil, fertiliser, and food have jumped by 40 to 300 percent. Africa regularly imports 30 million metric tonnes of food from now-at-war Russia and Ukraine.
President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria stated that for African countries to become self-sufficient, they must increase financing for rural infrastructure and agricultural projects.
“Without a question, we need to help farmers if we want to thrive,” he stated. He stated that in order to combat the growing frequency of droughts, “we must spend extensively in irrigation to minimise the rate of rural to urban migration through the development of rural areas.”
Less than 3% of the total financing from African commercial banks goes toward funding agriculture due to significant lending risks, according to Buhari, and central banks must fill the gap.
Agri-insurance may reduce risks, according to Ahmed Abdellatif, president of the Sudanese business conglomerate CTC Group, who was speaking at a CEO roundtable on Thursday.
“If you are among the unfortunate 5% who experience rainless days, it completely destroys you and puts you in danger,” he explained. “Agri-insurance would be a significant enabler.”
Many presenters cited examples of achievement on the continent. Over a four-year period, Ethiopia raised production of a heat-resistant wheat variety from 5,000 to 800,000 hectares and is currently en route to becoming a wheat exporter.
In Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, outputs of a drought-resistant maize variety have increased by more than a factor of two.
In reaction to the situation in Ukraine, Zimbabwe started making its own wheat and fertiliser. Emmerson Mnangagwa, the president of Zimbabwe, stated that the nation anticipates producing enough wheat to start exports next year.
“The citizens of a country should be in charge.” “A country’s citizens must work toward its development,” he said. “Additionally, conventional sense holds that a nation must reap what it sows.”
The conference won’t end until Friday.
