The Dakar summit moves beyond a narrow focus on production to champion a complex web of economic ecosystems, from climate-resilient indigenous crops and insect-based proteins to AI-powered logistics and agro-tourism, creating diverse pathways for a new generation of leaders.

By Anthony Muchoki

As the Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF) 2025 convenes this week, its agenda signals a strategic, ambitious recalibration of the continent’s future. Under the banner “Africa’s Youth Leading,” the forum looks far beyond traditional farming to a comprehensive ecosystem of more than 44 interconnected value chains designed to drive inclusive growth, strengthen food security, and build climate resilience.

The forum’s evolution from the African Green Revolution Forum in 2022 marked a decisive shift to a holistic “food systems” lens. That pivot is on full display in Dakar. Conversations are moving past a singular focus on production to interrogate every link in the chain—farm to fork, finance to fintech. While the summit champions private investment and technology, it remains a contested space: an industry-driven vision sits alongside calls from civil society for greater public support to farmer-led, agroecological alternatives.

At its core, AFSF 2025 is mapping Africa’s next economic frontier. The agenda rests on a foundation of interlocking systems that create the enabling environment for growth. The overarching agri-food framework binds production, processing, distribution, and consumption into a single transformation agenda—one that prioritises productivity, nutrition, inclusion, and sustainability. Within that frame, agricultural and agribusiness value chains are cast as the primary vehicles for mobilising private capital and creating decent work for youth and women.

Regional integration is another anchor. By strengthening value-addition and regional value chains, the forum places the African Continental Free Trade Area at the centre of a strategy to boost intra-African commerce and reduce import dependence. Urban food supply chains—exposed as fragile by recent global disruptions—receive particular attention, with proposals to overhaul logistics links between rural producers and rapidly expanding cities. The “green transition” runs through these debates, connecting agriculture with agroforestry, renewable energy, and sustainable waste management.

Redefining what grows on African farms—and what ends up on African plates—is emerging as a resilience strategy. Cereals, including maize, rice, sorghum, millet, and fonio, remain staples of food security, with renewed emphasis on breeding high-yield, stress-tolerant varieties. Legumes such as pulses, soy, and Bambara groundnut are elevated for their protein punch and soil-health benefits. Horticulture—leafy greens, tomatoes, onions, and fruit—features prominently as a route to diversified diets and vibrant local markets.

Classic commercial and staple crops are not sidelined. Palm oil, potato, cassava, and coffee appear in targeted initiatives that aim to unlock investment and empower smallholders through better inputs, extension, and processing. Yet some of the forum’s most compelling energy gathers around “opportunity crops”—under-utilised indigenous foods with climate resilience baked in. Revitalised value chains for Bambara groundnut, fonio, amaranth, baobab, moringa, and medicinal plants are framed as strategic bets to advance nutrition, sovereignty, and rural incomes.

Meeting rising protein demand, sustainably and affordably, is a central challenge. Livestock systems—dairy, beef, and poultry—are being rethought through a climate-smart lens, with fresh attention to the untapped potential and unique needs of pastoral communities. Better forage crops and more efficient feeding regimes are flagged as levers to lift productivity while shrinking emissions intensity. Fisheries and aquaculture round out the picture. From safeguarding wild-catch ecosystems to backing youth-led aquaculture enterprises, the sector is positioned as a jobs-rich, nutrition-dense pillar of food security.

The frontier of protein also includes insects. Beekeeping, sericulture, and other insect-based food and feed ventures are showcased as high-potential, green jobs pathways that marry circular-economy principles with nutrition gains. They may still be niche today, but the forum treats them as tomorrow’s scalable solutions—especially for feed markets under pressure from climate and cost shocks.

If farms, fisheries, and forests are the visible face of transformation, the engine room sits behind the scenes—in processing halls, input depots, data centres, and logistics hubs. Value addition is the job-creation heartbeat of the agenda. Reducing post-harvest loss, expanding juice and puree lines, and even building specialised baby-food production that draws on local crops such as millet and baobab are all presented as investable opportunities. Packaging innovation and traceability systems are increasingly non-negotiable, both for export markets and for domestic consumers seeking quality assurance.

Inputs and seed systems form the backbone of productivity. The Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Action Plan features alongside a rising tide of bio-solutions and biofertilisers. Seed system reform—certified, climate-resilient varieties delivered through youth-led distribution models—receives star billing, recognising that genetics and access are two sides of the same coin. Without reliable inputs, everything else in the value chain creaks.

Digitisation is the other great accelerant. From digital public infrastructure and e-extension services to agri-fintech, drone-mapped farms, AI-enabled supply chains, and satellite monitoring, technology is recast as connective tissue rather than a standalone sector. The promise: smarter decisions, faster payments, cheaper credit, and leaner logistics that widen margins for farmers while making nutritious food more affordable for consumers.

Infrastructure and services tie the system together. Mechanisation via leasing and service models seeks to democratise access to equipment. Water management and irrigation innovations aim to stabilise yields amid climate volatility. Improved market linkages and the development of integrated logistics hubs are treated as the arteries of a modern agri-food economy, moving perishables quickly and reliably from field to city. Even adjacent niches—such as eco-tourism that links coastal conservation with local livelihoods—find a place on the opportunity map.

By centring its programme on 44 interconnected value chains, AFSF 2025 delivers a clear message: Africa’s path to prosperity runs through a diversified, innovative, and resilient food economy. Yet the ultimate test lies beyond conference halls. Can these plans unlock finance at scale for young agripreneurs? Will high-tech ambitions be bridged with grassroots, agroecological solutions that farmers can adopt now? And can the benefits be distributed widely enough to make a measurable dent in poverty, malnutrition, and vulnerability to climate shocks?

The work ahead is to translate strategy into service—extension that reaches the last mile, capital that meets youth at idea-stage, and policies that reward stewardship as much as yield. If Dakar’s vision holds, the prize is not just more food, but better food systems: productive, nutritious, inclusive, and sustainable. That is an agenda worthy of the continent’s youth—and one that demands delivery, not just declarations.