President Bola Tinubu on Monday called on African governments to make sustained investments in science, research and innovation, describing them as the continent’s strongest tools for tackling food insecurity, climate change and poor agricultural productivity.

The President made the call at the opening of the 9th Africa Agriculture Science Week (AASW) and the 10th General Assembly of the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) in Abuja, as a new report by AKADEMIYA2063 revealed that Africa spent a record $122.9 billion on agricultural imports in 2022, highlighting the continent’s inability to convert its vast agricultural potential into food security and economic prosperity.

Represented by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, Tinubu said Africa’s future agricultural success would depend not on the abundance of its natural resources but on the strength of its scientific institutions and commitment to knowledge-driven development.

“Before countries became prosperous, they first learned how to feed their people; and before they transformed agriculture, they invested in science,” the President said.

He noted that although Africa possesses vast arable land, rich biodiversity and one of the world’s youngest populations, these advantages would remain underutilised unless translated into innovation, enterprise and economic opportunities.

Tinubu described the Africa Agriculture Science Week as more than a scientific conference, saying it had become the continent’s foremost platform for shaping agricultural policy, strengthening partnerships and advancing scientific solutions capable of transforming Africa’s agrifood systems.

According to him, discussions at the conference have the potential to redefine research priorities, accelerate innovation and contribute to building a more food-secure, resilient and prosperous Africa.

The President said his administration had placed agriculture at the centre of its Renewed Hope Agenda because food security remains inseparable from national security, economic prosperity and social stability.

He explained that Nigeria’s agricultural transformation agenda extends beyond increasing food production to building a modern, competitive, climate-resilient and market-oriented agrifood system anchored on science, technology, innovation and private sector investment.

Tinubu said the Federal Government was implementing reforms across the agricultural value chain, including the expansion of irrigation and all-season farming, increased mechanisation, improved access to quality seeds and fertilisers, expanded agricultural financing, digital agriculture and agro-industrial development.

He also reaffirmed government’s commitment to strengthening agricultural research institutes, universities, extension services and strategic partnerships, stressing that sustainable agricultural transformation can only be achieved when public policies are backed by sound scientific evidence.

“The encouraging progress already being recorded across several priority value chains reinforces our confidence that consistent investment, effective implementation and strong institutions will continue to improve productivity, create jobs, strengthen rural livelihoods and enhance national food security,” he said.

Tinubu described science as the invisible force behind every successful agricultural revolution, noting that improved crop varieties, climate-smart farming practices, irrigation technologies and evidence-based policies were products of sustained scientific research.

He added that research not only generates knowledge but also reduces uncertainty, strengthens investor confidence, guides policymaking and equips farmers with technologies needed to cope with increasingly unpredictable climatic conditions.

The President identified emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, satellite applications, biotechnology, digital platforms and data science as transformative tools capable of reshaping African agriculture.

Rather than depending solely on imported innovations, he urged African countries to become global leaders in developing technologies tailored to the continent’s ecological conditions and production systems.

Tinubu called for sustained investment in national agricultural research systems, universities, innovation hubs, digital infrastructure and scientific talent while advocating stronger collaboration among governments, researchers, development partners, private investors and farmers.

He emphasised that knowledge has become agriculture’s most valuable resource in the 21st century, stressing that research must ultimately improve productivity, create jobs, restore degraded land, strengthen climate resilience, improve nutrition and stimulate economic growth instead of ending in academic publications.

The President also said no African country could independently overcome challenges such as climate change, emerging pests and diseases, land degradation, food insecurity and market volatility, calling for coordinated scientific responses, shared investments and stronger continental partnerships.

He urged participants to ensure that ideas generated at the conference translate into practical technologies, better public policies, profitable enterprises for young people and improved incomes for farmers.

Tinubu reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to working with African countries and international partners to build an agricultural sector that is productive, competitive, inclusive, resilient and innovation-driven.

He challenged Africa to evolve from being merely a consumer of agricultural technologies into a globally recognised centre for agricultural knowledge, scientific excellence and innovation.

In his keynote address, Managing Director of AKADEMIYA2063 and Public Policy, Innovation and Strategy Specialist, Dr Debisi Araba, said Africa’s growing dependence on imported food despite possessing nearly two-thirds of the world’s uncultivated arable land reflected deep structural weaknesses undermining agricultural productivity, regional trade and economic resilience.

According to Araba, the continent’s agricultural import bill rose to $122.9 billion in 2022 following disruptions triggered by the Russia-Ukraine war, exposing Africa’s vulnerability to external shocks.

Although intra-African agricultural trade has tripled over the past two decades and proved resilient during both the 2008 global financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, he noted that trade within the continent still accounts for less than 20 per cent of total agricultural trade compared with more than 50 per cent in Asia.

He attributed the weak regional trade largely to restrictive sanitary and phytosanitary regulations and other non-tariff barriers, saying they impose costs equivalent to a 49 per cent tariff on agricultural products traded across African borders.

Araba said full implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the removal of these barriers could increase intra-African agricultural trade by 29 per cent, strengthen regional value chains, improve food availability and reduce dependence on imports.

The agricultural economist warned that Africa’s worsening food insecurity and rising unemployment were closely linked, noting that 845 million Africans, representing 58 per cent of the continent’s population are moderately or severely food insecure.

He added that 62 per cent of preschool-aged children suffer deficiencies in iron, zinc or vitamin A, underscoring the scale of the continent’s nutrition crisis.

Despite the challenges, agriculture remains Africa’s largest employer, accounting for 63 per cent of total employment, while about 72 million young Africans are neither in employment, education nor training.

“Hunger and jobs are the same agenda,” Araba said, stressing that transforming agriculture presents Africa’s greatest opportunity to reduce poverty, generate employment and improve food security.

He urged governments to invest more in innovation, citing black soldier fly farming as an example of an emerging industry capable of converting organic waste into high-value animal feed and fertiliser.

According to him, Africa produces about 99 million tonnes of suitable municipal bio-waste annually, enough to support an industry capable of contributing $211 billion to the continent’s GDP each year, creating 17 million full-time jobs, lifting 22 million people out of poverty annually and replacing 76 per cent of Africa’s soybean feed supply.

“That is what a frontier looks like when the institutions behind it work,” he said.

Araba also expressed concern over persistent underinvestment in agricultural research and development, disclosing that 41 of 46 African countries spend below the African Union’s benchmark of one per cent of agricultural GDP on agricultural research.

He noted that agricultural growth across the continent continues to rely largely on expanding cultivated land rather than improving productivity.

According to him, cereal yield gaps remain between 40 and 60 per cent because of poor market access, weak extension services and inadequate enabling environments, despite the availability of improved technologies.

He added that Africa attracts only 1.6 per cent of global agri-tech investment, even though studies show that 76 per cent of digital agriculture initiatives increase farmers’ adoption of improved farming practices while 68 per cent lead to higher crop yields.

Araba urged African governments to prioritise investment in research, innovation, institutional capacity and regional integration to achieve the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Kampala Declaration targets of increasing agricultural output by 45 per cent, tripling intra-African agrifood trade, halving post-harvest losses and ending hunger by 2035.

“A tractor imported is not mechanisation mastered. A cold room purchased is not a cold chain built. A digital platform launched is not adoption achieved,” he said, stressing that Africa’s agricultural transformation ultimately depends on building the knowledge, institutions and capabilities required to scale innovation effectively.