As world leaders gather in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, the urgency of the climate crisis has never been clearer. For Africa, the intersection of climate change and food systems is not a distant policy debate, it is a lived reality. Many countries now bear witness to unsettling phenomena: rivers, canals and reservoirs drying up under relentless droughts and heatwaves.
The consequences are stark. In Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands, for instance, over 3.1 million residents are now severely food-insecure due to scarce rainfall across three consecutive seasons. Extreme weather events -floods, cyclones, prolonged droughts are disrupting livelihoods, destroying crops, displacing communities and eroding the very security of African people. These outcomes are no longer isolated shocks; they represent a deepening structural crisis that calls for immediate action.
At the Africa Food Systems Forum 2025 in Dakar, I witnessed first-hand the continent’s bold response. Governments are no longer speaking in abstractions; they are rolling out ambitious, investment-ready programmes to tackle food insecurity while building resilience to climate change.
Read: AGRA launches 2025 Africa Food Systems Report at Dakar forum
Liberia, for example, announced a $900 million Legacy Investment Program that targets five priority commodities: – rice, maize, coffee, cassava and oil palm with ambitious land allocations such as 50,000 hectares for rice and 20,000 hectares for cassava. This initiative is not just about expanding acreage; it is about reducing import dependence, creating rural jobs, strengthening agro-processing and transforming national food systems into globally competitive value chains.
Uganda presented its $1.4 billion Legacy Program, a blueprint that positions the country as a regional powerhouse in agriculture. By unlocking opportunities for farmers, boosting rural incomes and exploring partnerships with UNDP and AfDB to de-risk agriculture and scale climate-resilient farming, Uganda is charting a pathway where food systems become engines of growth and resilience, not vulnerability.
Nigeria, too, has taken a decisive stance. Early this year, President Tinubu emphasized the paradox that while Nigeria produces nearly 40% of global shea, it captures less than 1% of the $6.5 billion market. By banning raw shea nut exports and investing in local processing, Nigeria aims to empower rural communities particularly women and capture more value within its borders, turning an underutilized crop into a driver of prosperity.
Zimbabwe is incentivizing agribusiness investors through policy innovation: duty rebates on capital equipment for fresh produce exports, tax holidays in Special Economic Zones and supportive BOT/BOOT models, these are innovative financing tools that de-risk agriculture while attracting private investment. They allow governments to: scale food systems transformation faster, lower dependence on imports, while creating jobs and resilience in rural economies. These measures signal that Africa is not only ready for investment—it is creating enabling environments for agribusiness to thrive and deliver impact.
What strikes me most is the power of these initiatives to reshape Africa’s narrative. They are no longer about scarcity and dependence but about resilience, innovation and leadership. They show that Africa is harnessing its vast renewable energy potential, its dynamic youth population and its biodiversity not only to address immediate food security needs but also to safeguard global climate stability.
The discussions at UNGA remind us that safeguarding Africa’s natural systems is not just a regional priority; it is a global imperative. The health of our planet depends on the health of Africa’s ecosystems. Investments in food systems resilience, renewable energy transitions and biodiversity protection are central to our collective survival.
This moment calls for urgency, unity and leadership. Policymakers must continue to create enabling environments that attract investment into climate-resilient agriculture and sustainable energy solutions. Development partners must align financing with Africa’s priorities, ensuring communities can withstand climate shocks and secure their livelihoods. And as citizens, we must demand accountability, ensuring that the promises made on the global stage translate into tangible action on the ground.
The future of Africa’s food security and indeed the world’s stability, rests on how boldly and collectively we act today. From Liberia’s commodity-led strategy to Uganda’s billion-dollar blueprint, from Nigeria’s shea sector transformation to Zimbabwe’s agribusiness incentives, these programmes prove that Africa is not waiting for solutions. We are building them, together.
