Africa's seed systems are facing a significant gap between policy and delivery, with many countries having strong seed policies on paper but struggling to implement them in rural areas. According to the African Union's 2025 Seed Sector Performance Index, member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) score 8.05 out of 10 for their national seed policy frameworks, but only 2.63 for actually delivering quality seed to farms. This gap is a major challenge for African agriculture, and the African Union is convening the first Africa Seed Summit in Ezulwini, Eswatini, from 5 to 7 October to address this issue.
Despite having strong seed policies, many African countries lack seed markets that work, which is hindering the transformation of agriculture on the continent. The 2025 Index assessed 50 of the African Union's 55 member states, with an average score of 4.63 out of 10, which is fair at best. However, some countries are showing what is possible with strong seed systems, including South Africa, Egypt, Zambia, Kenya, and Zimbabwe, which have scores of 8.64, 8.13, 7.83, 7.64, and 7.62, respectively.
The past two decades have seen significant progress in developing Africa's seed systems, with many foundations laid for the current scores. Twenty years ago, most African farmers planted varieties bred 20 to 30 years earlier, and more than eight in 10 replanted grains saved from the previous harvest. Working with national research systems, universities, and regulators, organizations such as AGRA have helped train a generation of plant breeders, supported the release of more than 650 improved varieties, and helped establish 118 local seed companies.
However, despite this progress, the use of quality commercial seed across the continent averages just 3.06 out of 10, and many countries are still struggling to meet their seed needs for priority crops. Of 46 countries with data, none met all of their seed needs for their four priority crops, and 14 met less than a quarter of what they required for every one of them. Furthermore, 14 countries released no new varieties of their priority crops at all between 2022 and 2024, due to thin funding, too few breeders, and poor research facilities.
To address these challenges, governments and seed companies need to work together to create an enabling environment for seed markets to develop. This includes providing licenses for seed companies to access new varieties, producing early generation seed in reliable volumes, and having inspectors to keep counterfeits off the shelves. Countries that have treated these links as a budget question rather than a policy question have seen better results, such as Nigeria, Malawi, and Ethiopia, which have established funds and investment plans to support their seed sectors.
The importance of farmer-managed seed systems also cannot be overstated, as most of the seed Africa's smallholders plant does not come from companies but from farmer-managed systems. The Index shows that these systems are poorly recognised in policy almost everywhere, but healthy seed systems can offer both community seed banks and local varieties, as well as commercial seed options. Regional integration is also crucial, with seed harmonisation frameworks existing in several regional economic communities, but policy alignment has not become a consistent practice at the border.
The Africa Seed Summit in Ezulwini should commit to concrete actions to address these challenges, including having every country with a seed investment plan put it into its national agricultural investment plan and budget, and having public research institutes license their varieties to seed companies on clear and predictable terms. The Seed Sector Performance Index should also be reported every year to track progress and hold governments accountable.
Key points
- - African countries have strong seed policies but struggle with delivery. - The use of quality commercial seed across the continent averages just 3.06 out of 10. - The Africa Seed Summit in Ezulwini should commit to concrete actions to address these challenges.
