Prime Minister Justin Nsengiyumva has called for increased investment across Africa’s food value chains, saying agricultural transformation will require more than investment in farming alone. He said this on Wednesday, September 2, at the opening of the Africa Food Systems Forum 2026 in Kigali, which brought together policymakers, farmers, businesses, investors, researchers and development partners to discuss investment in the continent’s agri-food systems. “In 2025, about 309 million Africans were affected by hunger, and that is about 20% of the continent's population. At the same time, about 57% of Africans experienced moderate or severe food insecurity,” he said. He said addressing these challenges will require investment that goes beyond agricultural production and extends across the wider food economy. ALSO READ: AfDB plans to invest nearly Rwf590bn in Rwanda’s agriculture “The private sector actors must move beyond viewing agriculture as a narrow but inherently risky activity. Africa's food economy offers opportunities across logistics, irrigation, energy, reclamation, digital services, insurance, processing, retail and the minimum.” Nsengiyumva said agricultural investment should also address the infrastructure and services that allow farmers and businesses to connect with markets. “A productive farm cannot thrive without roads, energy, irrigation, storage, finance, logistics, processing and reliable markets. We need to look across the value chain and address the constraints that prevent viable enterprises from growing,” he said. He said countries need to develop projects that are attractive to investors, supported by realistic financing, strong institutions and measurable targets. “Across Africa, there is no shortage of promising innovations and successful titles. The challenge has always been to finance, adapt and employ these solutions across countries and communities while ensuring that growth translates into better nutrition, dignified employment and greater resilience.” ALSO READ: New research seeks to make maize safer from aflatoxin Achieving these objectives will require cooperation between governments, farmers, businesses, investors, international institutions, researchers and development partners, the Prime Minister said. Former Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn and the chairperson of the AGRA Board of Directors noted that weak infrastructure, post-harvest losses, trade barriers and costly finance prevent farmers from capturing more value from their produce. “We challenge you [investors] to move capital decisively into agri-infrastructure, cold-chain logistics, commercial processing facilities, blended agricultural finance, and digital input distribution networks,” he said. He said Africa’s agricultural transformation requires strong institutions, patient capital, private-sector participation and accountable delivery systems focused on improving smallholder farmers’ prosperity. “We have to first shift from knowledge to delivery, and second, shift from pilots to scale, and we have to shift also from raw production to validation, and fourthly, shift from commitments to measurable results.” Amath Pathé Sene, Managing Director of Africa Food Systems, said the continent must now move from discussions and commitments to investment and delivery. “We must move capital, we must move businesses, we must create jobs for African young people and our women, we must nourish our people, and we must build a food system capable of withstanding the climate change challenge at hand,” he said. Moses Vilakati, AU Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, said the transformation of African agri-food systems requires investment that can drive economic growth, create jobs and strengthen food and nutrition security. “The question is whether we have the political will, the investment, the partnerships, and the accountability mechanisms required to implement what we have already agreed upon,” he said. He urged stakeholders to focus on investments that produce measurable results, saying the forum should be judged by the investments it catalyses and the improvements they bring to farmers and businesses.
