The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, has called for increased investment in agricultural processing, logistics, financing and intra-African trade to unlock Africa’s agricultural potential.
Kyari made the call in his goodwill message at the Agriculture Summit Africa 2026, held from September 15 to 16 at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja. The summit was themed “Building the Next Superpower: Africa’s Food Power Play.”
The Minister noted that Africa possesses a significant share of the world’s uncultivated arable land but continues to spend billions of dollars annually on food imports.
According to him, the challenge confronting the continent is not a lack of agricultural resources but the inability to effectively convert those resources into economic value.
Kyari highlighted Nigeria’s efforts to bridge the gap through initiatives such as the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones Programme, noting that its first phase had mobilised $538 million in co-financing across seven states and the Federal Capital Territory, as stated in the ministry’s message.
He also emphasised the potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to expand markets for African agricultural producers and processors by strengthening intra-African trade.
The Minister commended Sterling Bank for its sustained commitment to the agricultural sector and urged private investors to explore opportunities in agricultural processing, storage, logistics and distribution.
Kyari said Africa’s ambition to become a food superpower would depend on ensuring that agricultural produce is processed, financed, traded and consumed within the continent, while farmers receive better returns for their efforts.
The Agriculture Summit Africa 2026 brought together stakeholders from government, agribusiness, finance, technology, development, research and farming to discuss investment, food systems and agricultural value-chain development.
