Bayer convened a high-level dialogue with AGRA, the African Union (AU) and First National Bank (FNB) during last week’s B20 Summit in South Africa. The aim of this was to bring together policymakers, development partners and industry leaders to discuss the urgent reforms needed to transform Africa’s food systems.
With rising climate pressures, economic instability and persistent disruptions in global supply chains, partners emphasised that Africa must prioritise resilience, innovation and investment to strengthen food security and unlock the continent’s vast agricultural potential.
During the event, Debra Mallowah, Head of Crop Science, Bayer Africa, issued a powerful call for coordinated and urgent action; “This decade must be defined by partnerships and not fragmentation. Implementation, instead of intention, and delivery instead of all these declarations is key. Africa possesses the land, the youth, the creativity, and the resilience to feed itself and to help feed the world. What we do not have is time. 2030 is approaching rapidly and the window for decisive action is narrowing.”
Representing AUDA-NEPAD, Dr. Ildephonse Musafiri, Advisor to the CEO, highlighted the importance of dialogue and collaboration as a driver of real change; “This 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 and work together and align their priorities, we unlock the systems-change that farmers, markets and communities urgently need.”
AGRA President, Alice Ruhweza, noted that although agriculture remains Africa’s largest employer, and contributes around 25% to the continent’s GDP, public investment continues to lag, “Food is so important, but it does not have the same level of attention it should have, for example, as is the case in the manufacturing sector. Agri-food systems in Africa produce about 25% of Africa’s GDP, but attract only 2% of investment from African governments.”
Throughout the dialogue, speakers stressed the need to strengthen smallholder farming systems, improve intra-African food trade, expand blended finance and scale digital and scientific solutions that can withstand increasing climate and economic pressures.
There was consensus that Africa possesses the natural resources, human capital and ingenuity required to achieve food sovereignty — but that the pace of action must accelerate.
Reflecting on insights from the B20 Summit and the dialogue, Mildred Nadah Pita, Vice Chair of the Sustainable Agricultural Food Systems, Bayer reinforced the growing momentum behind Africa’s agricultural transformation, “As a leading life science company, we strongly believe that the time for Africa’s agricultural transformation is now – and the G20 countries also believe that. President Cyril Ramaphosa said in the closing remarks of the B20 that Africa is open for businesses. Bayer will continue to lead in providing the right innovations for farmers, breeding local seeds for local needs. We, alongside our partners, need to help them mitigate the effects of climate change that threaten food production.”
Bayer and its partners expressed a strong commitment to translating the dialogue’s recommendations into concrete programmes, sustained collaboration and long-term partnerships aimed at securing Africa’s food future.
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About Bayer
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. In line with its mission, “Health for all, Hunger for none,” the company’s products and services are designed to help people and the planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to driving sustainable development and generating a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2023, the Group employed around 100,000 people and had sales of 47.6 billion euros. R&D expenses for special items amounted to 5.8 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.com.
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