Africa’s green revolution: Challenges and Opportunities

The Africa Development Bank has prioritized agriculture through its Feed Africa program, aiming to make the sector a leading driver of economic growth in Africa. Jennifer Blanket, Vice President for Agriculture, Human, and Social Development at the Africa Development Bank, highlighted some of the challenges facing the continent's green revolution in a recent interview. One major issue is the imbalance in Africa's trade, with the continent exporting raw materials and importing finished goods. Blanket emphasized the importance of value addition and increasing productivity to address this issue. She pointed out that Africa currently imports around $35 billion worth of agricultural goods annually and projected this number to rise to $110 billion by 2025 due to urbanization and a growing middle class. To tackle these challenges, the bank is focusing on leveraging opportunities in the agriculture sector, which is estimated to be a $1 trillion market by 2030. By investing in new technologies, creating innovative business models, establishing agri-poles in rural areas, and promoting value chain development, the bank aims to boost productivity, increase exports, and generate employment. With Africa's population expected to grow by 450 million in the next 20 years and a shortage of 100 million jobs under current policies, Blanket stressed the need to harness the potential of the continent's youth for economic growth. She highlighted agriculture as a key sector for job creation and outlined initiatives such as Enable Youth, aimed at empowering young graduates to start their own agribusinesses and access finance. Additionally, addressing gender disparities in agriculture is crucial, as women make up 70% of the workforce in the sector. Blanket emphasized the importance of supporting women in agriculture through initiatives like Afala, which provides financing, policy support, and capacity building for women entrepreneurs. By facilitating access to credit, property rights, business training, and credit lines, the bank aims to empower women to play a more significant role in Africa's economies and advance the Feed Africa strategy.