Africa’s agricultural leaders, policymakers, and youth innovators have opened the Africa Food Systems Forum 2025 (AFSF) with a message that the continent must move from fragmented progress to systemic transformation, if it is to achieve food security and prosperity.
The call was made as AGRA launched its inaugural Africa Food Systems Report (AFSR 2025), which shows that while Africa’s agricultural production has grown at an average 4.3% annually since 2000, making it the fastest growth globally, the gains have not translated into improved nutrition.
Poverty has declined from 58% in the 1990s to 35% today, yet hunger is on the rise again, with over 282 million Africans undernourished and one in three children still stunted.
Opening the Forum, AGRA Board Chair and former Ethiopian Prime Minister, Hailemariam Dessalegn warned that Africa can no longer rely on incremental change.
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“Despite our abundance, Africa still imports $70 billion worth of food each year, loses up to 40% of its harvest post-farm, and produces only 60-70% of its food needs. This cannot continue,” he said.
He urged leaders to accelerate the implementation of CAADP 3.0, Africa’s new 10-year plan which targets a 45% increase in agri-food output, a tripling of intra-African trade, and a halving of post-harvest losses within a decade.
AGRA president Alice Ruhweza emphasised that Africa’s transformation must be built on youth leadership, inclusivity, and systemic reforms.
“Piecemeal progress will not deliver the transformation Africa needs. We must build integrated food systems that prioritise youth, empower women, and harness knowledge and innovation. Africa has the talent and resources. what is needed now is commitment and collective action.”
Hosted by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal, the Forum has drawn over 6,000 delegates from 80 countries, including heads of state, development partners, private sector leaders, and more than 2,000 youth participants.
This year’s theme, “Africa’s Youth: Leading Collaboration, Innovation, and Implementation of Agri-Food
Systems Transformation”, reflects the growing recognition that Africa’s young people must drive the change.
The highlight of the opening day was a Youth Town Hall, where young agripreneurs posed tough questions to Presidents Faye and Paul Kagame of Rwanda. The discussions centred on mobilising domestic financing, advancing climate adaptation, and creating dignified employment across food value chains.
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President Kagame emphasised policy reforms to attract private sector investment, while Faye stressed the urgency of securing adaptation finance to protect Africa’s food systems from climate shocks.
The forum also showcased innovative youth-led initiatives such as the Community Agricultural Cooperative (CAC), which is driving grassroots resilience and inclusion across African communities. These models, leaders said, offer proof that young people are not just beneficiaries but central actors in reshaping Africa’s food landscape.
As the forum continues through the week, sessions will focus on investment opportunities, intra-African trade, climate-smart agriculture, and governance reforms.
Leaders and partners are expected to announce new financing mechanisms and partnerships to scale solutions across the continent.
With Africa home to 60% of the world’s uncultivated arable land and the largest youth population globally, speakers stressed that the continent has the resources to feed itself and contribute significantly to global food security. What is now required, they agreed, is political will, systemic reform, and bold investment.
