Experts call for urgent action on Africa’s arable land

Critical issues around the food and energy security plaguing Africa dominated discourse at the Food and Energy Security Conference in Lagos hosted by White & Case LLP in collaboration with the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), AFREXIM, and African Finance Corporation (AFC).

The first-of-its-kind conference brought together industry leaders, policymakers, and experts from around the continent and beyond who noted the immense potential of Africa’s vast arable land and the urgent need to unlock its value.

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Speaking during a workshop entitled “Opportunities, Challenges, and Frictions in the Food Security Value Chain and Practical Solutions to Unlock Value”, the Chief Executive Officer of African Food Security, Alan Kessler, said the company’s key priority is to produce food locally with scale, thereby creating food security, eliminating carbon footprint, and minimizing logistics cost.

African Food Security in a New York-based company that sees food production in Africa as one of the next biggest opportunities. The company aims to meet Africa’s food needs and contribute to the region’s economic and social progress as well as create a sustainable and inclusive business model that involves local communities.

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“Africa’s yield differential will materially change under our primary sustainable farming model, and we are combating desertification, and methane degradation, while simultaneously driving primary local food production,” Kessler said.

“While preserving precious Rain Forest, to produce food locally with scale is the key priority, creating food security, eliminating carbon footprint, and minimizing logistics cost,” he said during the workshop co-hosted by the Managing Partner of FHSA, Vivian Maduekeh.

The Country Manager of OCP Africa-Nigeria, Oluwatoba Clement Asana, expressed concerns that Africa possesses over 60 percent of the world’s arable land yet contributes only 10 percent to global food production.

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Speaking during a fireside chat at the conference, Asana noted that the situation underscored the urgent need for action to harness the continent’s agricultural potential.

“As a company, if we don’t focus on agriculture, we are going to face more problems—problems that are already manifesting in some parts of Africa today,” Asana said.

“Once resources become scarce, competition grows, leading to instability and insecurity, even at the household/family levels. That is what we’re seeing, and agriculture must be part of the solution,” he said.

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The event featured keynote speeches from key stakeholders, including President and CEO of the African Finance Corporation (AFC), Samaila Zubairu, and CEO of NSIA, Aminu Umar-Sadiq.

Also present at the event were notable dignitaries, such as the Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President for East Africa (OCP Africa), Mr Mohamed Hettiti; Managing Director of Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc, Boye Olusanya; AVP Investments at AFC, Abiola Osho; Project Lead for the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative at NSIA, Iruansi Itoandon; Partner at White & Case LLP, Melissa Butler; and Regional Chief Operating Officer of Afreximbank, Alain-Thierry Mbongue.

Participants emphasized the need for collaborative frameworks and addressing challenges like access to financing, infrastructure gaps, and reducing food losses.