Alice Ruhweza, President of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), is pressing African governments to dramatically increase public investment in agriculture to unlock the continent’s economic potential and curb a reliance on food imports.
Speaking at the 2025 Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF) in Dakar, Ruhweza called for countries to meet and surpass the Maputo and Malabo Declarations, which committed nations to allocating at least 10% of their GDP to the agricultural sector. The push comes as the continent faces a massive annual food import bill of over US$70 billion, a figure that she argues is unsustainable given Africa’s vast, untapped agricultural resources.
“We cannot grow what we do not fund,” Ruhweza stated. “Agriculture must be treated as a central pillar of our economic and social development.” She highlighted the paradox of a continent with two-thirds of the world’s uncultivated arable land, yet millions of unemployed youth and significant food deficits.
The Kampala Roadmap
The call for investment is anchored in the Kampala Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Declaration, a roadmap adopted by the African Union. This ambitious plan outlines several key targets for 2035:
- Agrifood Output: A 45% increase in output through sustainable practices.
- Post-Harvest Losses: A 50% reduction.
- Intra-African Trade: A tripling of trade in agrifood products.
- Investment Mobilization: Securing $100 billion in public and private investments.
- Zero Hunger: The ultimate goal of achieving zero hunger across all African Union member states.
The declaration also commits to ensuring that at least 10% of annual public expenditure goes to agrifood systems and that 15% of agrifood GDP is reinvested annually back into the sector. Beyond these figures, it sets targets for improving nutrition, empowering women and youth, and strengthening resilience to climate and economic shocks.
Leaders Back the Call to Action
The message resonated with other high-profile figures at the AFSF. Former Ethiopian Prime Minister and AGRA Board Chair, Hailemariam Dessalegn, underscored the urgency, stating, “Africa cannot wait to harness its potential and transform its food systems.”
Rwandan President Paul Kagame urged a shift from rhetoric to action, specifically calling on young people to take the lead. “We need to move from talking to doing,” Kagame said, stressing the need for the continent to rely on its own resources rather than foreign aid. “Each of us must take responsibility.”
The event, themed “Africa’s Youth Leading Collaboration, Innovation, and Implementation of Agri-Food Systems Transformation,” underscores the critical role of young entrepreneurs and farmers. Ruhweza emphasized that Africa’s youth are its “greatest asset” and must be equipped with the necessary skills, capital, and opportunities to drive the sector forward.
The AFSF, an annual platform for dialogue on food systems, has drawn over 6,000 attendees from more than 113 countries, reflecting a growing global interest in Africa’s agricultural landscape. As Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye noted, Africa holds all the potential to achieve food self-sufficiency, but only if it commits to the necessary policy and investment reforms.
