The United Kingdom has unveiled a £5 million partnership with the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) to enhance agricultural trade and strengthen food systems across the continent.
- The UK announced a £5 million collaboration with AGRA to improve agricultural trade and food systems in Africa.
- The initiative, unveiled during the Africa Food Systems Forum, aims to support Africa’s agricultural business potential.
- African agriculture employs half the workforce and contributes 20% to GDP, yet remains underfunded.
- Leaders emphasised the need for innovation, infrastructure, and intra-African trade to unlock the continent’s food potential.
The United Kingdom has unveiled a £5 million partnership with the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) to enhance agricultural trade and strengthen food systems across the continent.
The announcement was made on Monday by Lord Collins of Highbury, the UK’s Minister for Africa at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), during the Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSForum2025) in Dakar, Senegal.
According to him, the initiative will support the Kampala Declaration and unlock the potential of Africa’s agribusiness sector.
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“We know that Agriculture remains underinvested despite it employing over half of Africa’s workforce and making up nearly 20 per cent of its GDP. With the global food market worth $7 trillion, this represents the opportunity for Africa’s agribusinesses,” he said.
Agriculture has long been a cornerstone of African economies, but its growth potential remains constrained by limited value addition, inadequate technology, and weak infrastructure.
Leaders urge agricultural self-reliance
Recognising this untapped potential, Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, speaking at the Africa Food Systems Forum in Dakar, stated that the continent has the capacity to help feed the world, emphasising that young people must be placed at the centre of agricultural transformation.
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He urged the continent to pursue self-reliance in food security through massive investment in water management, innovation, local processing, and intra-African trade.
Echoing this call, Rwandan President Paul Kagame said Africa “can’t keep depending on the rest of the world when we have everything, when our people know what to do, when there is, really, nothing lacking.”
“We need to move from talking to doing,” he added. “The youth must also step up and match their demands with real action.”
