The President of Sierra Leone, Dr. Julius Bio, has criticized the $50 billion spent annually by African countries on food imports.
Speaking on Wednesday in Ibadan at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) during the third day of his visit, Bio emphasized that the imported food items could be grown within the region.
During a session tagged “Strategic Dialogue” on Wednesday, President Bio urged African leaders to brace up and work towards changing the narrative of dependence on foreign food.
He called on leaders to prioritize food security as a means of alleviating the suffering of Africans.
“We must prioritize what is priority. Food security is not just about food; it’s about our economy, health, employment, and many other things,” the President said.
Challenges in boosting agriculture
Bio noted that getting African countries to take agriculture seriously at the highest levels has been challenging.
- However, he acknowledged that a few countries, such as Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Tanzania, have made significant progress in agriculture and food security.
- He urged African nations to establish necessary infrastructure to attract investors, emphasizing that the investment required to support agriculture is substantial.
“African governments should mobilize domestic revenue and collaborate with the private sector. Taking these steps can make it easier to finance the agriculture sector,” he said.
- Bio urged African countries to explore internal resources, especially in light of the recent global cuts to development funds.
“Even before the current challenges, it has always been difficult because international financial institutions have not made it easy for us to access the requisite funds,” he said.
The need for food sovereignty
Hafez Ghanem, the Strategic Dialogue Speaker and former World Bank Vice-President, added that African countries could never achieve true sovereignty if they relied on others for their food supply.
Ghanem emphasized that the concept of sovereignty means little if African countries cannot feed themselves.
“It is important for Africa to really focus on this issue of food security and agriculture,” he said.
- Comparing Africa to India, he noted that while the continent has a population of 1.4 billion—similar to India—it remains divided into 54 countries, whereas India operates as a single entity.
“We need to work together. One key lesson from India is the role of research and technology in agriculture. To increase yields, we must use better seeds and advanced technologies,” he explained.
- He further suggested the establishment of a centralized, pan-African agricultural research and technology center to drive innovation and improve productivity.
- Ghanem equally urged the continent to produce its own fertilizers, if they wanted to increase yields in Africa.
- He noted that roughly two-thirds of the fertilizers used in Africa were imported, and their production locally would bring down the cost of fertilizers for farmers.
The speaker also advocated for joint irrigation projects across the continent to enhance all-round farming.
State governors share agricultural success stories
In their respective remarks, Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno, Gov. Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau and the host governor, Seyi Makinde, shared stories of successful and impactful agri-business initiatives in their states.
- Zulum said his administration had invested heavily in mechanised farming apart from provision of support to small-scale farmers through inputs and creation of an enabling environment for them.
- Mutfwang said his government had started the resuscitation of agriculture institutions, reviving structures and providing leadership to manage the sector.
- He added that his government was also subsidizing the cost of fertilisers to enhance production of food in large quantities across the state,
On his part, Makinde said his government focused on fixing infrastructure to attract agriculture investors into the state.
He said the Fashola Agri-business Hub Initiative had really attracted many investors and the introduction of “tractorisation” subsidy for farmers has really assisted farmers.
Bio’s visit to IITA aimed to strengthen partnerships, foster innovation, and boost mobile investments to accelerate the Feed Salone Programme, a major initiative by the Sierra Leonean government to combat food insecurity and malnutrition.
