Stakeholders at the Agriculture Summit Africa (ASA) 2026 have highlighted that Africa is losing billions of dollars in potential wealth by exporting raw agricultural commodities instead of processing them locally. The summit, held under the theme “Building the Next Superpower: Africa’s Food Power Play,” attracted over 12,000 participants. Discussions focused on the need for African countries to take greater ownership of agricultural value chains and capture more value from the continent’s abundant farm produce.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, emphasized that Africa possesses about two-thirds of the world’s remaining uncultivated arable land but spends more than $100 billion annually on food imports. He noted that the continent’s vast agricultural resources would not translate into economic power without investment in processing and other value-adding activities. Kyari cited the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones programme as an initiative aimed at addressing this gap.
The Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones programme has mobilised $520 million in co-financing with development partners across seven states and the Federal Capital Territory, according to Kyari. He urged greater private-sector investment in agricultural processing, storage, and logistics, saying the government’s responsibility was to create an environment that would make such investments viable. Kyari emphasized that the government’s role was to make investments bankable, not to take the place of private investors.
Minister of State for Agriculture, Senator Aliyu Abdullahi, clarified that food sovereignty should not be misconstrued as a policy of eliminating imports. Rather, it ensures that countries retain control of their food systems and major sources of nutrition. Abdullahi emphasized the need for Africa to be massively in control of its food chain and caloric sources, producing what it eats and eating what it produces.
Abubakar Suleiman, managing director of Sterling Bank, noted that the continent’s challenge extends beyond agricultural production to ownership of the systems through which farm commodities are processed and marketed. Using cassava as an example, Suleiman said Nigeria produces more cassava than any other country but accounts for only about two per cent of the global processed cassava market. He highlighted the gap as a problem of ownership rather than farming.
The Agriculture Summit Africa (ASA) 2026 set a $300 million investment pipeline target aimed at doubling Africa’s agricultural GDP output. Suleiman and other stakeholders stressed the need for a shift from food security to food sovereignty. This shift would enable African countries to capture more value from their agricultural produce and reduce dependence on imports.
The summit’s discussions emphasized the need for a collective effort to address the challenges facing Africa’s agricultural sector. Stakeholders called for increased investment in processing and value-adding activities to unlock the continent’s agricultural potential. With the right investments and policies, Africa can leverage its abundant resources to become a major player in the global food market.
Key points
- - Africa loses billions exporting raw farm produce instead of processing it locally. - Stakeholders call for a shift from food security to food sovereignty. - The Agriculture Summit Africa (ASA) 2026 sets a $300 million investment pipeline target.
