Kigali, Rwanda, November 3, 2025 — The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) has reiterated its commitment to working alongside African governments and regional institutions to accelerate agricultural transformation as the continent enters a decisive phase in food systems reforms.
Speaking during the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme Partnership Platform (CAADP-PP) meeting held in Kigali, co-organized by the African Union Commission (AUC) and AUDA-NEPAD, AGRA underscored the importance of moving from pledges to coordinated delivery rooted in Africa’s priorities and leadership.
From Commitments to Coordinated Action
This year’s CAADP-PP brought together policymakers, development partners, and private sector players to align on practical actions driving measurable outcomes across Africa’s agri-food systems. During the event, AGRA unveiled the Africa Food Systems Report (AFSR) 2025, a landmark report that provides indicators for tracking progress in supply chains, food environments, diets, systemic drivers, and outcomes.
Jonathan Said, AGRA’s Vice President for Technical Expertise, emphasized that the Partnership Platform plays a critical role in harmonizing partners’ efforts and priorities:
“The CAADP Partnership Platform is where partners align on what we will deliver together. Our role is to support the AUC and AUDA-NEPAD to secure coherence among partners and focus on key priorities—such as food corridors, end-to-end value chain development, and seed system commercialization—so that countries can implement their National Agriculture Investment Plans (NAIPs) faster, crowd in private investment, and expand access to finance for farmers and SMEs.”
Strengthening Delivery and Regional Integration
The Kigali forum spotlighted a renewed commitment to helping African governments strengthen coordination and delivery mechanisms for flagship agricultural programs and policies that drive food systems transformation.
Participants also reaffirmed the need to advance regional trade integration while enabling private sector investment in value addition and market access. Said noted that AGRA’s initiatives are structured to connect smallholder farmers to regional markets, de-risk agro-processing investments, and promote innovative financing models that spur inclusive agricultural growth and self-sufficiency.
Tackling Soil Health and Seed System Challenges
The partners further committed to accelerating the African Soil Health and Fertilizer Agenda, recognizing soil degradation as a major obstacle to food security. Current interventions include promoting integrated soil fertility management, improving fertilizer efficiency, and building farmer-centered extension systems that enhance access to inputs and knowledge.
Additionally, momentum is building around implementing the AU’s Seed and Biotechnology Action Plan. Through its Centre of Excellence for Seed Systems in Africa (CESSA), AGRA presented a tri-partite collaboration model linking AGRA, One CGIAR, and National Agricultural Research Systems (NARS) to deliver climate-resilient, nutrient-dense seed varieties suited to Africa’s changing environments.
Empowering Youth and Women at the Core
In a strong call to action, participants agreed that women and youth must be central to Africa’s food systems transformation. The AUC convened a side event on tracking youth entrepreneurship and employment in agrifood, noting that countries still lack coherent metrics to measure progress—making it difficult to channel finance and capacity-building into viable youth-led enterprises.
AGRA highlighted ongoing programs designed to expand access to finance, land, and agribusiness skills for women and young people, reinforcing their role as intentional drivers of transformation across the continent’s agricultural landscape.