Prime Minister Justin Nsengiyumva has referred to as for elevated funding throughout Africa’s meals worth chains, saying agricultural transformation would require greater than funding in farming alone.
He mentioned this on Wednesday, September 2, on the opening of the Africa Meals Techniques Discussion board 2026 in Kigali, which introduced collectively policymakers, farmers, companies, buyers, researchers and growth companions to debate funding within the continent’s agri-food methods.
“In 2025, about 309 million Africans have been affected by starvation, and that’s about 20% of the continent's inhabitants. On the identical time, about 57% of Africans skilled reasonable or extreme meals insecurity,” he mentioned.
He mentioned addressing these challenges would require funding that goes past agricultural manufacturing and extends throughout the broader meals financial system.
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“The personal sector actors should transfer past viewing agriculture as a slim however inherently dangerous exercise. Africa's meals financial system presents alternatives throughout logistics, irrigation, power, reclamation, digital companies, insurance coverage, processing, retail and the minimal.”
Nsengiyumva mentioned agricultural funding also needs to tackle the infrastructure and companies that permit farmers and companies to attach with markets.
“A productive farm can’t thrive with out roads, power, irrigation, storage, finance, logistics, processing and dependable markets. We have to look throughout the worth chain and tackle the constraints that forestall viable enterprises from rising,” he mentioned.
He mentioned nations must develop initiatives which are engaging to buyers, supported by reasonable financing, robust establishments and measurable targets.
“Throughout Africa, there isn’t any scarcity of promising improvements and profitable titles. The problem has all the time been to finance, adapt and make use of these options throughout nations and communities whereas guaranteeing that progress interprets into higher vitamin, dignified employment and higher resilience.”
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Attaining these targets would require cooperation between governments, farmers, companies, buyers, worldwide establishments, researchers and growth companions, the Prime Minister mentioned.
Former Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn and the chairperson of the AGRA Board of Administrators famous that weak infrastructure, post-harvest losses, commerce obstacles and dear finance forestall farmers from capturing extra worth from their produce.
“We problem you [investors] to maneuver capital decisively into agri-infrastructure, cold-chain logistics, industrial processing amenities, blended agricultural finance, and digital enter distribution networks,” he mentioned.
He mentioned Africa’s agricultural transformation requires robust establishments, affected person capital, private-sector participation and accountable supply methods centered on bettering smallholder farmers’ prosperity.
“We have now to first shift from data to supply, and second, shift from pilots to scale, and we now have to shift additionally from uncooked manufacturing to validation, and fourthly, shift from commitments to measurable outcomes.”
Amath Pathé Sene, Managing Director of Africa Meals Techniques, mentioned the continent should now transfer from discussions and commitments to funding and supply.
“We should transfer capital, we should transfer companies, we should create jobs for African younger folks and our girls, we should nourish our folks, and we should construct a meals system able to withstanding the local weather change problem at hand,” he mentioned.
Moses Vilakati, AU Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Growth, mentioned the transformation of African agri-food methods requires funding that may drive financial progress, create jobs and strengthen meals and vitamin safety.
“The query is whether or not we now have the political will, the funding, the partnerships, and the accountability mechanisms required to implement what we now have already agreed upon,” he mentioned.
He urged stakeholders to deal with investments that produce measurable outcomes, saying the discussion board must be judged by the investments it catalyses and the enhancements they bring about to farmers and companies.
