Africa Food Systems Forum 2025: Youth, Innovation, and Soil Health at the Heart of Transformation.

The Africa Food Systems (AFS) Forum 2025, held under the theme “Africa’s Youth: Leading Collaboration, Innovation and Implementation of Agri-Food Systems Transformation”, concluded with a strong call for innovation, investment, and inclusive leadership to transform the continent’s food systems.

Hosted at the CICAD and Diamniadio Expo Center, the six-day event brought together over 6,000 participants from 113 countries and more than 350 speakers, including heads of state, ministers, private sector leaders, development partners, researchers, and farmers.

Youth and Leaders Call for Bold Action

Opening the forum, Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye urged urgent investments in modernisation, water management, digitalisation, and local transformation. Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame encouraged Africa’s youth to remain resilient: “Find a purpose… try and fail but don’t fail to try.”

The forum featured high-level roundtables on trade, nutrition, climate-smart agriculture, and energy-food systems integration, all framed within the new CAADP strategy (2026–2035).

Major Investments Announced

A highlight came from Liberia, where Agriculture Minister Dr. J. Alexander Nuetah unveiled a US$900 million Legacy Investment Programme to boost productivity in rice, maize, cassava, coffee, and oil palm value chains. The initiative aims to accelerate food security, job creation, and agro-industrial growth.

Nigeria’s FAO-led sessions showcased youth-driven innovations, particularly in the coffee value chain, spotlighting the role of young entrepreneurs in driving transformation.

Soil Health and Fertiliser Access Take Center Stage

On the sidelines, the Africa Fertiliser Industry Development Association (AFIDA) was launched, marking a major step in uniting the continent’s fertiliser sector. With over 60% of Africans relying on agriculture, restoring soil fertility and improving access to affordable fertilisers are essential to boosting productivity and resilience.

H.E. Moses Vilakati, AUC Commissioner for Agriculture, prioritised soil mapping, fertiliser blending facilities, and resuscitating the African Centre for Fertiliser Development as part of his 100-day action plan.

Partnerships for Agricultural Transformation

The forum underscored the importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration, emphasising that governments, private sector, youth, women, and farmers must work together to achieve inclusive, sustainable, and climate-resilient agriculture.