Africa: Africa's Food Systems - Twenty-Three Years After Maputo, What Has Changed?

What the report says

In a commentary published by The New Times via AllAfrica, Ambassador Joseph Mutaboba revisits the 2003 Maputo commitment on African agriculture and asks what has changed more than two decades later. The piece recalls that under the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme, African governments pledged to devote at least 10% of national budgets to agriculture and rural development and to pursue stronger agricultural growth. The article frames this as an important continental promise made in response to persistent hunger, weak infrastructure and limited investment in rural systems.

The author argues that there have been real gains, including more agricultural planning, broader policy attention and the spread of inputs, irrigation, research and digital services in some countries. He also says CAADP created a shared African framework for tracking progress and accountability. But he contends that the overall record remains disappointing because higher production has not translated into a transformed food system, with major losses after harvest, weak market access and continued dependence on imported processed foods.

The piece cites Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that hunger affected about 309 million Africans in 2025 and notes that more than half of the continent’s population was moderately or severely food insecure. It also refers to African Union review mechanisms showing that many countries were not on track to meet Malabo commitments. The article’s broader message is that agriculture must be matched by public investment, infrastructure and agro-industrial development if it is to improve livelihoods, nutrition and economic resilience.