From ambition to action: How Africa’s homegrown agricultural strategies are forging a path to food security and prosperity

Africa’s agricultural landscape presents both great potential and significant challenges. The continent has strong farming communities and diverse agricultural areas.

These factors offer the ability to feed its growing population and drive economic growth. However, this promise is constantly tested by climate change, internal conflicts, and global economic shocks. Despite these difficulties, a focused effort is underway, guided by Africa’s strategies: the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) and the Malabo Declaration.

A key part of this transformation is mutual accountability. The CAADP Biennial Review (BR) process, now in its fourth cycle (2015-2023), is more than just a report. It is a tool for continuous improvement and shared learning among African Union (AU) Member States. Every two years, nations assess their progress against the Malabo Declaration’s commitments. This approach, where countries learn from each other, is creating a clear path from goals to action.

The 4th CAADP Biennial Review Report shows a continent facing major difficulties. The lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and ongoing internal conflicts have reversed years of progress in economic growth, social development, and food security. The report states that over a billion Africans still cannot afford a healthy diet. Rising food, fuel, and fertiliser prices have pushed millions more into food insecurity. These are not just numbers; they represent the daily struggles of families and communities across the continent.

Despite these challenges, the BR process highlights notable progress and strength. While no country is fully “on track” to meet all Malabo targets by 2025, which shows the ambitious nature of the goals and the severity of external shocks, the report indicates continuous improvement and specific successes. This detailed view is important: the focus is on consistent, data-driven progress.

Key areas of Africa’s agricultural strategy

Africa’s agricultural transformation is built on several connected areas, each important for a strong and successful future:

1. The importance of Intra-African Trade (AfCFTA):The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is a major development. Since January 2021, it aims to triple intra-African trade in agricultural goods and services by 2025. This is about more than just economic integration; it’s about building strong food systems. It does this by helping move food from areas of surplus to areas of need, reducing reliance on unstable global markets, and improving regional food security. While the BR report shows no Member State is fully on-track for this goal, the AfCFTA vision remains a strong driving force. The Kampala CAADP Declaration supports this, calling for “strengthened market access and trade facilitation by removing trade barriers and improving infrastructure for efficient movement of goods.” This African goal is changing how the continent feeds itself.
2. The need for increased public and private sector investment:Agricultural transformation requires significant funding. The Kampala Declaration sets a goal of mobilizing $100 billion in public and private sector investment in African agrifood systems by 2035. It also calls for at least 10% of annual public spending to go to agrifood systems and 15% of agrifood GDP to be reinvested annually. However, the BR report shows a continent-wide investment gap, with no country fully meeting this target. This highlights the urgent need to increase public spending, create an environment that attracts private capital, and develop strong projects that draw in both local and foreign investment. Investment drives innovation, infrastructure, and market access.
3. The necessity of sustainable agricultural practices and new technologies:Climate change is a clear threat, making sustainable practices and new technologies essential. The Kampala Declaration specifically promotes “efficient practices such as drip irrigation, rainwater harvesting, and water recycling” and the use of “emerging technologies, such as biotechnologies, artificial intelligence, digitalization, and precision agriculture.” These new methods are crucial for increasing production, managing climate risks, and ensuring long-term environmental health. The BR report indicates that many countries are making progress in improving resilience to climate variability, but adopting advanced, sustainable practices still needs significant investment and capacity building.
4. Empowering women and youth:Women and youth are central to Africa’s agricultural future. The Malabo Declaration aims to halve poverty through agriculture by 2025, with a strong focus on empowering these groups. The Kampala Declaration further supports this, aiming to reduce the yield gap between men and women farmers by 50% and empower at least 30% of women and youth in agrifood value chains by 2035. Investing in their access to land, finance, technology, and markets is not just fair; it is a smart economic move that unlocks significant production gains and promotes inclusive growth.

Ghana’ as a national example

Ghana is a good example of how goals can be turned into action within this continental framework. With a population of over 34 million, Ghana’s agricultural sector is vital for its economy and food security. The nation’s overall agricultural transformation score of 6.68 out of 10 shows significant progress, placing it as a key country in Africa’s agricultural efforts.

Ghana’s performance in Commitment 6: Enhancing Resilience to Climate Variability (scoring 8.76 out of 9.75) is particularly important. While not officially “on track” due to the high benchmark, this very high score shows Ghana’s strong understanding and active approach to adapting to climate shocks. This resilience is directly connected to effective water management, suggesting that Ghana’s current efforts in this area can be expanded.

Furthermore, Ghana is on track for Commitment 4: Halving Poverty through Agriculture by 2025, scoring 9.01 out of 8.94. This achievement highlights Ghana’s ability to drive agricultural growth that directly improves livelihoods, a key result of the CAADP agenda. Our “on-track” status in Commitment 2 for Domestic Private Sector Investment also indicates a good environment for local capital. Ghana is one of only nine African countries on track for domestic private sector investment in agriculture, which shows our strong environment for investment.

Despite these successes, Ghana, like many West African nations, faces significant challenges. The BR report shows that West Africa is the only region where the irrigated cropped area has decreased. This is a critical area for Ghana to address, especially as climate change impacts are already costing Ghanaian farmers significantly. 

Studies indicate that climate variability could lead to a reduction of up to 40% in maize yields by 2050 if adaptation measures are not scaled up. This means substantial economic losses and increased food insecurity for a rapidly growing population. Ghana can learn from regional countries like Benin, Gambia, and Niger, who have successfully increased their irrigated areas.

To truly make every drop count and speed up progress, Ghana needs a coordinated, multi-faceted approach driven by strategic investment and policy. This includes targeted investment in various irrigation systems, promoting water-efficient technologies, strengthening data-driven water management, and implementing strong policy and institutional reforms.

Africa’s path towards food security and prosperity is a long-term effort. The CAADP and Malabo Declaration, supported by the Kampala Declaration, provide the strategic direction. The mutual accountability process of the Biennial Review ensures that this effort is clear, data-driven, and collaborative. As nations like Ghana continue to show leadership and commitment, Africa is steadily turning its goals into action, building a strong, food-secure, and successful future for all its people.