The Global Report on Food Crises 2025 (GRFC) is a sobering indictment of the world’s failure to address the roots of hunger—nowhere more so than in Africa. Despite repeated pledges and billions in aid, the continent remains the global epicentre of food insecurity, with countries like Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Eswatini once again among the worst-affected. Nearly 300 million people globally are facing acute food insecurity, and Africa accounts for a disproportionate share of this crisis. The report is not just a statistical analysis; it is a clarion call to rethink how we finance, structure, and transform agriculture in Africa. What is particularly damning is how little of the world’s financing is directed to agriculture in food crisis countries, just 3 per cent. For a sector that employs more than half the population and underpins rural economies, this is both baffling and destructive. The result is predictable: low productivity, fragile supply chains, and continued dependence on food imports priced in volatile global currencies. In countries already battling climate shocks and debt crises, the consequences are devastating. Africa’s vulnerability is structural. The majority of smallholder farmers lack access to credit, insurance, or technology. Farming remains risky and poorly remunerated. Climate shocks such as the El Niño-induced droughts now impacting Southern Africa regularly wipe out livelihoods and trigger cascading economic and social crises. Meanwhile, inflation and currency devaluation have made food increasingly unaffordable for urban and rural consumers alike. These are not isolated events, they are systemic failures. To break this cycle, Africa needs a paradigm shift. Agriculture must be treated not as subsistence survival but as a foundation for economic transformation. This requires targeted investment in technology, infrastructure, and financial inclusion especially for smallholders. Tools like parametric insurance, bundled digital services, and weather-indexed credit schemes are already being piloted in countries like Kenya and Rwanda. The task now is to scale them, embedding them into national development strategies and financing ecosystems. Financial inclusion is central to this effort. Smallholder farmers need more than microloans, they need access to a suite of products, from savings and credit to insurance and climate-smart financing. Yet, many remain invisible to the formal financial system. Closing this gap requires investment in digital identification, mobile platforms, and public-private partnerships that can de-risk innovation and lower the cost of access. But technology alone is not enough. The GRFC underscores the role of weak institutions in perpetuating food crises. Without strong extension services, accurate data systems, or coordinated land policies, even the most innovative solutions struggle to take root. Governments must invest in public goods; from early warning systems to agricultural research and development (R&D) and ensure that policies are aligned with long-term resilience rather than short-term relief. At the macro level, Africa’s dependency on food imports and exposure to global price shocks is a strategic vulnerability. It is also a political failure. Regional integration through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) must be accelerated to foster intra-African trade in food and agricultural inputs. Cross-border value chains, agro-processing zones, and harmonised standards can help Africa retain more value from its produce, create rural jobs, and reduce reliance on volatile external markets. Africa has the land, the people, and the ideas. What is missing is the alignment of capital, coordination, and political will. The GRFC is a reminder that hunger is not just a food issue, it is an economic and governance issue. It reflects choices made and priorities set. The time for pilot projects and short-term interventions is over. Africa must build resilient, inclusive, and future-ready food systems, not just to end hunger, but to drive structural transformation. If the continent is to feed itself and shape its future, agriculture must no longer be treated as a problem to be solved, but as a power to be unleashed. The author is an economist.
