- Tanzania has food surplus and is now exporting to neighbours.
- This raises hope that the fight against hunger and malnutrition on the continent is achievable.
- AfDB is now calling for the implementation of Dakar 2 Food Summit commitments.
Tanzania has been recognized for its steady steps to achieve food self-sufficiency attributable to its expanding agricultural industry.
“Tanzania is setting new benchmarks in food self-sufficiency across Africa, raising hope that the fight against hunger and malnutrition on the continent is achievable,” notes the African Development Bank (AfDB) President, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina.
Dr. Adesina made this observation during a high-level session at the World Food Prize Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue in Iowa, US where he was moderating the talks. He lauded Tanzania President Samia Suluhu Hassan after she announced that her country had reached 128 per cent food security and is now exporting surplus to neighbouring countries.
Speaking during a session titled: “Bold Measures to Feed Africa,” President Samia said since Tanzania has achieved food sufficiency; “we are now working on quality, accessibility and affordability, and how to minimize post-harvest loses.”
AfDB’s 2023 Dakar 2 Food Summit: Road to food self-sufficiency
Dr. Adesina praised her leadership and what he described as her ‘strong political will for Tanzania’s success. Using Tanzania as an example, Dr. Adesina said there is growing agricultural development commitment in other African nations as well which he said, underscores the continent’s readiness for large-scale investment in agriculture and food production.
He cited the AfDB‘s 2023 Dakar 2 Food Summit where commitments were made for country-specific food and agriculture compacts. That summit was attended by 34 African Heads of State and Government and mobilized over $72 billion.
One of the attendees of the Dakar talks was Tanzania’s Suluhu Hassan who ensured that her country left the Dakar 2 summit with a signed compact and with it, went on to implement development actions that have led to increased productivity.
“We realized that not investing in agriculture is much more costly than investing in the sector,” she said and also underscored her administration’s political will to create institutions and support structures for its farmers.
Notably, the Iowa dialogue was informed that Tanzania has now become a processor and net exporter of cashew nuts, stepping out of the box that holds most all other African countries whose produce is still processed in Asia.
Backed by investment from the AfDB, Tanzania has also succeeded in rural electrification with nearly 100 per cent of its 12,300 villages having access to electricity, the President informed the forum.
She said Tanzania is also creating jobs and conducting Youth and Women programmes targeting to reach at least 65 per cent of its youth population with training in farming, agriculture, livestock and crop farming.
Under these programmes, she said, each Tanzanian youth is given 10 acres of land and is supported by training, and that already 11,000 youth have benefitted. As a result, she went on to detail, this year, we expect a surplus harvest.
Sharing similar sentiments was Sierra Leone’s President Bio who said his country’s success with the Feed Salone program has enabled the country to cut rice imports by 20 million tonnes and spurred unprecedented agricultural productivity.
“Agriculture is the basis of development,” President Bio said. He added that the programme has helped boost agricultural productivity to feed the nation and like Tanzania, to even start surplus export; “Already we have reduced rice imports by 20 million tons,” he said.
The 2024 Norman E. Borlaug Dialogue gathers experts worldwide to inspire innovative solutions to global hunger. This year’s summit was themed: “Seeds of Opportunity, Bridging Generations and Cultivating Diplomacy.”
African Development Bank’s President Adesina quoted the words of Norman E. Borlaug; “He told me keep on scoring goals for Africa,” Adesina said. “If you are not investing in Africa, what are you doing?”
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AfDB’s Feed Africa program
Despite its potential to feed itself and to provide food to the rest of the world, Africa accounts for one-third of the world’s hungry people. Ironically, only 10 per cent of Africa’s vast savanna is cultivated with the other 90 per cent idle.
“Achieving zero hunger in Africa is possible with investments to raise agricultural productivity, supporting climate-smart agricultural systems, and private sector investments along the entire food value chain,” President Adesina said at the Dakar 2 Africa Food Summit.
The banker went on to announce an investment of $10 billion over five years to increase Africa’s ability to end hunger on the continent and become the leading provider of food for the rest of the world. He said the Dakar 2 Summit refocused and reenergized the Bank’s investment in agriculture, both public and private, in RMCs.
“The Bank, in addition to continuing the implementation of its Strategy for Agricultural Transformation in Africa (2016–25), is supporting RMCs in expanding Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones to deliver on their commitment at Dakar 2 to develop Food and Agriculture Delivery Compacts and to implement measures included in the Africa Emergency Food Production Facility,” he said.
He also announced that the Bank hosted a high-level event of the Africa Climate Risk Insurance Facility for Adaptation with the aim of mobilizing $1 billion in concessionary and high-risk capital, along with grants.
“These funds would be dedicated to de-risking private sector investments, focusing on the development and adoption of climate insurance solutions to amplify the resilience of African farmers to climate change,” he announced.
According to President Adesina, the initiative will leverage the extensive network of primary insurers across Africa, thereby enhancing their capacity to deliver effective and innovative insurance solutions at scale.
He named completed projects to include the Madagascar’s South-West Region Agricultural Infrastructure Rehabilitation Project, which he said has given a new boost to agriculture and farmer income.
He also highlighted completion of rehabilitation works on a 40km protective dike to prevent floods and provide protective grassing for several hectares of land against floods and erosion.
“The project also helped develop climate-resilient seeds and assisted farmers in adopting resilient agricultural practices and increase production, rehabilitated lowlands, and strengthened value chains,” the AfDB president detailed.
Notably, rice yields in the project area increased from 3.1 tonnes to 5.3 tonnes per hectare. Lima bean yields reached 1.2 tonnes per hectare, double the yield of 0.6 tonnes produced 10 years ago; “The higher yields helped raise the average yearly income of farmers from $416 to $478,” he summed up.
