Sustainable agriculture, a game changer in regional food security, is reshaping Africa’s food systems through accelerating agriculture’s role in regional economic development. This came to light at the 2025 Africa Food Systems Forum Summit, held in Dakar, Senegal, from August 31st to September 5th, 2025. With a focus on youths as a driver of agricultural transformation, the Summit was themed “Africa’s Youth: Driving Collaboration, Innovation, and the Transformation of Agri-Food Systems.”
The Summit was officially launched by Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who was joined by Rwanda’s Paul Kagame, former Ethiopian Prime Minister Haile Mariam Dessalegn, and Senegal’s Agriculture Minister Mabouba Diagne, who remarked on the African continent’s potential to harness, unlock, and transform its food systems for self-sufficiency and sustained food security.
President Bassirou Diomaye Faye underscored the relevance of inclusivity in agricultural transformation, unlocking socio-economic opportunities, and the necessity of reducing reliance on food imports to build sustainable food sovereignty.
‘’Our continent has all the potential needed to achieve food self-sufficiency. Africa could help feed the world. Africa should first rely on itself to feed itself. She needs to join a dynamic solution. Together, let us work to break the notion that agriculture is a survival sector’’, remarked H.E. President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Republic of Senegal.
H.E. President of the Republic of Rwanda, H.E. Paul Kagame, remarked that the youths are key innovators and drivers of economic growth and agricultural transformation.
“Young people are the changemakers who are the heart of development. You must be out there actively engaged and find a purpose that guides you. Young people must make an effort to contribute and match the level of demands they are making. Support from government, institutions, including development institutions, to partner with you to take your ideas further will come, but you must be engaged.” -H.E. Paul Kagame.
ACTESA Chief Executive Officer, Dr John Mukuka, reaffirmed COMESA’s shared commitment to building resilient, climate-smart, data-driven food systems across Eastern and Southern Africa.
Speaking when he delivered a keynote speech at a side event dubbed “Production estimation
using satellite data and machine learning for Regional Food Balance and Security Monitoring, Dr Mukuka highlighted the crucial role of RFBS in ensuring proactive governance, stable markets,
increased intra-regional trade and agricultural transformation.
In a highly interactive panel discussion, RFBS Manager, Patrick Maingi, emphasised the role of RFBS in boosting farmer incomes, unlocking the agriculture trade and investment potential, and building Africa’s climate-smart food systems.
The summit highlighted the role of the continent’s fast-growing young population in a sector that contributes nearly a quarter of Africa’s GDP.
Key sessions of the forum addressed challenges of agricultural transformation, land access, youth participation, finance, innovation, and technology. The forum also reviewed the African Union’s new Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP/PDDAA), a roadmap for 2026–2035 to strengthen food sovereignty and cut reliance on imports.
Africa’s Food Systems Forum, formerly AGRF, is the world’s premier forum for African agriculture and food systems, bringing together stakeholders to take practical actions and share lessons that will move African food systems forward. Africa Food Systems Forum is designed to energize political will and advance the policies, programs, and investments required to achieve an inclusive and sustainable food systems transformation.
Hosted by Senegal after Kigali (Rwanda) in 2024, the event was organized by 33 partners, including the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). The event drew nearly 6,000 participants, including policymakers, private sector leaders, farmers’ organizations, civil society, and development partners.
