Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has called on African governments to scale up investments in agriculture, insisting the sector must become the foundation of the continent’s economic transformation. Speaking at the opening of the 19th Forum on African Food Systems in Dakar, Faye reminded leaders of the 2003 Maputo Declaration which urges countries to allocate at least 10% of their national budgets to agriculture warning that most African states are still falling short of this target.
The stakes are high. According to the UN, more than 700 million people went hungry worldwide in 2024, nearly half of them in Africa. Faye cautioned that if current trends continue, chronic undernourishment could affect over one billion people globally by 2030 with Africa carrying the heaviest burden. Showcasing Senegal’s policies, he pointed to investments in sustainable farming cooperatives, reforms such as the Sylvo-Pastoral law, and initiatives promoting water management, mechanization, and modern storage facilities. These, he said, are designed to reduce post-harvest losses and dependence on food imports.
“Agriculture must no longer be seen as mere subsistence,” Faye declared. “It should be repositioned as a strategic driver of food sovereignty, economic growth, and wealth creation.” His remarks echo growing concerns across the continent, where climate shocks, global price volatility, and rapid population growth are straining fragile food systems.
