Article: Lonwabo Mtyeku – GP News Media, Community Newsroom Images: Supplied
Johannesburg, 25 November 2025 — In a decisive show of leadership ahead of the continent’s most urgent agricultural decade, Bayer convened a high-level dialogue with AGRA, the African Union (AU) and First National Bank (FNB) on the sidelines of the B20 Summit in South Africa. The gathering brought together senior policymakers, development institutions, financiers and private-sector leaders to confront one critical question: How can Africa rapidly transform its food systems to withstand intensifying climate, economic and global supply-chain shocks?
The dialogue underscored one message with unmistakable clarity — Africa has the potential to feed itself, and even the world, but the window for decisive action is narrowing.
Picture: Debra Mallowah, Head of Crop Science, Bayer Africa
A Unified Call for Urgency and Implementation
Opening the session, Debra Mallowah, Head of Crop Science, Bayer Africa, delivered a powerful appeal for accelerated collaboration and execution:
“This decade must be defined by partnerships and not fragmentation. Implementation instead of intention, and delivery instead of declarations is key. Africa possesses the land, the youth, the creativity and the resilience to feed itself and help feed the world — what we do not have is time.” Her message resonated throughout the room: while Africa holds abundant agricultural potential, fragmented efforts and slow policy execution continue to stall progress toward food and nutrition security.
Picture: Auda-Nepad, Dr. Ildephonse Musafiri, Advisor to the CEO
AUDA-NEPAD: Dialogue Must Lead to Shared Responsibility
Representing the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), Dr. Ildephonse Musafiri, Advisor to the CEO, emphasized that collaboration must go beyond announcements and evolve into aligned action across sectors.
“Dialogue is essential because it moves us beyond rhetoric into shared responsibility. Africa’s transformation will not come from isolated efforts. When the public and private sectors sit together, align priorities and act jointly, we unlock the systems-change that farmers and markets urgently need.”
Dr. Musafiri stressed that coordinated leadership is the only pathway to accelerate Africa’s commitments under the Malabo Declaration, Agenda 2063, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Picture: AGRA President, Alice Ruhweza
AGRA: Agriculture Remains Africa’s Engine — But Investment Must Match Its Value
AGRA President, Alice Ruhweza, highlighted the contradiction between agriculture’s centrality to Africa’s economy and the chronic underinvestment in the sector.
“Agriculture contributes roughly 25% to Africa’s GDP and remains the continent’s largest employer. Yet it attracts only 2% of public investment. Food is so important, but it does not receive the level of attention given to sectors like manufacturing.”
She called for bold, coherent financing approaches — from domestic budgets to blended finance and catalytic capital — to unlock the value chain from smallholder farmers to processors and exporters.
Turning Insights into Action: What Leaders Agreed On
Across the dialogue, there was strong alignment on four priority areas that demand urgent scaling:
1. Strengthening Smallholder Food Systems
Smallholders remain the backbone of Africa’s food production, yet face the greatest climate and economic vulnerability. Stakeholders agreed that investments must prioritise climate-smart agriculture, resilient seed systems and risk-mitigation tools.
2. Expanding Intra-African Trade
Food still moves more efficiently across oceans than between African borders. Leaders emphasized that harmonising standards and reducing non-tariff barriers is essential to support the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
3. Unlocking Blended Finance
Partnerships between commercial banks, development finance institutions and private agribusinesses must expand to increase credit access for farmers, SMEs and agri-innovation companies.
4. Scaling Science, Technology and Digital Solutions
From precision agriculture to advanced plant breeding and climate forecasting tools — innovation emerged as a cornerstone of Africa’s future food security.
Picture: Mildred Nadah Pita, Vice Chair of the Sustainable Agricultural Food Systems
Bayer: Momentum Is Building — and the Time Is Now
Reflecting on the B20 and the outcomes of the dialogue, Mildred Nadah Pita, Vice Chair of Sustainable Agricultural Food Systems, Bayer, reinforced the growing global and continental commitment to Africa’s agricultural transformation.
“As a leading life-science company, we strongly believe the time for Africa’s agricultural transformation is now — and the G20 countries believe that too. President Cyril Ramaphosa stressed that Africa is open for business. Bayer will continue to lead in providing the right innovations, breeding local seeds for local needs, and helping farmers mitigate the effects of climate change.”
Her remarks captured a shared sentiment: Africa’s agricultural transformation is not a distant aspiration — it is happening now, and the momentum must be maintained.
A New Chapter for Africa’s Food Future
The dialogue concluded with a united commitment from Bayer, AGRA, the AU and FNB to convert insights into action through concrete programs, measurable outcomes and sustained multi-sector partnerships.
The consensus was unmistakable: Africa has the natural resources, human ingenuity and entrepreneurial energy to achieve food sovereignty — but accelerating implementation is essential.
As the continent approaches 2030, leaders emphasized that the decisions made today will define the future of Africa’s food systems for generations.
