AGRA President Urges Greater Investment in Agriculture

By Praisebell Rosemond Larbi

The President of Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Alice Ruhweza, has called for increased public investment in Africa’s agricultural sector to strengthen food systems and ensure the continent achieves food security.

Speaking at the opening of the 2025 Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF) in Dakar, Senegal, she reminded African leaders of the commitments under the Maputo and Malabo Declarations, which require countries to allocate at least 10 percent of their GDP to agriculture.

“We cannot grow what we do not fund. Agriculture must be treated as a central pillar of our economic and social development,” she stated.

Ms. Ruhweza noted that Africa spends more than US$70 billion annually on food imports while youth unemployment, climate challenges, and infrastructure gaps continue to hinder progress despite the continent’s vast arable land.

She referenced the African Union’s Kampala Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) Declaration, which sets ambitious targets including a 45 percent increase in agrifood output, halving post-harvest losses, tripling intra-African agrifood trade, and boosting local food processing to 35 percent of GDP by 2035.

The declaration also aims to mobilize $100 billion in investment, secure zero hunger across AU member states, reduce child malnutrition, and enable 60 percent of Africans to afford a healthy diet.

Calling for stronger collaboration, she urged governments, the private sector, researchers, farmers, and civil society to embrace the Kampala agenda. “We must embed this vision into national plans with accountability while scaling up transformative solutions,” she said.

Former Ethiopian Prime Minister and AGRA Board Chair, Hailemariam Dessalegn, stressed urgency: “Africa cannot wait to harness its potential and transform food systems. We owe it to the 300 million living in poverty.”

Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame both emphasized self-reliance, with Kagame urging African youth to lead the charge.

With over 6,000 participants from 113 countries, this year’s AFSF, under the theme “Africa’s Youth Leading Collaboration, Innovation, and Implementation of Agri-Food Systems Transformation,” seeks to galvanize commitments for a resilient and self-sufficient agricultural future.