The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) has officially launched the Africa Food Systems Report 2025 at the Africa Food Systems Forum in Dakar, marking a turning point in how the continent approaches food and agriculture. For more than a decade, AGRA’s Africa Agriculture Status Report provided critical insights into the continent’s agricultural performance. This year, however, the organization has rebranded and expanded the publication into the Africa Food Systems Report, reflecting the growing recognition that Africa’s future depends on a comprehensive approach that links food production with nutrition, trade, environment, finance, and governance.
The launch comes as policymakers, researchers, development partners, private sector leaders, and farmers’ representatives gather for the Africa Food Systems Forum 2025, the continent’s largest platform for dialogue and action on food security. The forum, which runs for four days in Dakar, is bringing together thousands of delegates from across Africa and beyond to deliberate on practical pathways for transforming food systems. Since its inception, the forum has become a powerful space for aligning policy commitments with investment opportunities, and this year’s edition is particularly significant as it coincides with the release of the new report and the run-up to the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Kampala Declaration commitments.
The report itself paints a complex picture. It highlights that Africa’s agri-food systems have made remarkable progress over the past three decades. Extreme poverty has fallen from nearly 60 percent in the 1990s to 35 percent today, child stunting has dropped from almost 40 percent to 30 percent, and life expectancy has increased by more than 14 years. Agricultural output has grown faster in Africa than in any other region of the world, expanding at an average annual rate of 4.3 percent since 2000. These gains demonstrate the resilience of African farmers, entrepreneurs, and institutions.
Despite growth in productivity, millions remain excluded from the benefits. Over 282 million Africans are undernourished, and one in three children still suffers from stunting. The cost of a healthy diet remains prohibitively high for most families, consuming as much as 60 to 70 percent of household income, making it unaffordable for more than 80 percent of the population. The prevalence of undernourishment, which had declined to 15 percent by 2015, rose again to more than 19 percent by 2022 due to the combined pressures of conflict, climate shocks, and global crises. These trends reveal a troubling disconnect between production gains and food security outcomes.
The Africa Food Systems Report argues that incremental progress is no longer enough. Isolated advances in productivity or trade cannot guarantee long-term resilience or inclusivity. Instead, what is required is systemic transformation, an approach that integrates governance reforms, infrastructure investment, innovative financing, and sustainable practices. The report underscores that agriculture must be viewed not just as a means of producing food, but as part of a broader system that shapes health, employment, trade, and environmental outcomes.
At the heart of this transformation is the need for governments to strengthen governance and policy coherence. Many African countries still allocate less than two percent of their national budgets to agriculture, far below the 10 percent target set under the CAADP framework. Without stronger political will, critical investments in infrastructure, research, and extension services will remain underfunded. The report also stresses that Africa’s financing landscape is changing. Official development assistance is declining, and global priorities are shifting, leaving African governments to leverage domestic capital markets, development finance institutions, and private sector partnerships. Public funds, it argues, must now serve as catalysts to crowd in larger pools of investment.
Infrastructure remains a pressing concern. Nearly 40 percent of food produced in sub-Saharan Africa is lost before it reaches the market because of poor storage, inadequate processing facilities, and unpaved rural roads. Irrigation covers less than seven percent of cropland, compared to a global average of 20 percent, leaving millions of farmers vulnerable to erratic rainfall. Expanding access to energy, roads, cold storage, and logistics is identified as a cornerstone for reducing losses, improving trade, and connecting smallholders to regional and international markets.
Another priority is ensuring that Africa’s food systems deliver healthier and more diverse diets. While caloric availability has increased, the quality of diets remains low, with heavy reliance on starchy staples and limited consumption of nutrient-dense foods. Only about one-third of women of reproductive age meet minimum dietary diversity requirements, and urban centers are increasingly witnessing a surge in ultra-processed foods that contribute to obesity and non-communicable diseases. This double burden of malnutrition underscores the urgent need for more deliberate strategies to improve nutrition outcomes, from school feeding programs to public procurement systems that prioritize fresh and healthy foods.
Perhaps the most pressing theme running through the report is youth inclusion. With nearly 60 percent of Africa’s population under the age of 25, the continent’s demographic profile represents both a challenge and an opportunity. Unless food systems are transformed to generate dignified jobs and entrepreneurship opportunities for young people, the benefits of growth will remain limited. But if harnessed effectively, Africa’s youth could drive the modernization of farming, processing, and trade through innovation and digital solutions.
In her preface to the report, AGRA President Alice Ruhweza emphasized the need for bold, collective action. “Africa has the talent, the resources, and the vision to feed itself and the world,” she wrote. “What we need now is the commitment to work together, at scale, to turn potential into lasting prosperity for all.”
The Africa Food Systems Forum in Dakar provides the stage for these conversations. For four days, participants are exchanging experiences, showcasing innovations, and forging new partnerships that could redefine Africa’s trajectory in food security. With leaders from governments, businesses, farmer organizations, and international institutions present, the forum is more than a conference; it is a marketplace of ideas and investments. Its impact has already been felt in past editions, where commitments made on its platform translated into national policies and private sector deals. This year’s event, anchored by the launch of the Africa Food Systems Report 2025, is expected to play an even greater role in shaping the continent’s food agenda as it heads into the next cycle of CAADP commitments.
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As the discussions in Dakar unfold, one message is clear: Africa’s fragmented progress of the past cannot deliver the transformation it needs. The continent stands at a crossroads where bold, systemic change is no longer optional but necessary. The launch of the Africa Food Systems Report 2025 signals both a recognition of this reality and a roadmap for the future. Whether the continent can turn its potential into prosperity will depend on the commitments forged at forums like this one and the resolve of its leaders to act on them. Read the AFS 2025 report, here.
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