Jap and Southern Africa are at a pivotal second to rework their meals methods into engines of financial development, and improvement. With a quickly rising inhabitants, urbanization, and shifting dietary preferences, the area is experiencing a surge in demand for protected, nutritious, and accessible meals.
On the identical time, challenges like local weather change, land degradation, and provide chain inefficiencies are forcing a rethinking of how meals is produced, processed, and distributed. The area is dwelling to over 230 million folkslots of whom are extraordinarily poor and face important challenges accessing satisfactory, protected, and nutritious meals day by day. In 2024, roughly 62.9 million folks, or 25% of the analyzed inhabitants in seven out of eight IGAD international locationsare experiencing excessive ranges of acute meals insecurity in 2024.
These dynamics open up a big selection of alternatives—from leveraging digital improvements, scaling local weather good agriculture to strengthening regional commerce. Governments, non-public sector gamers, and improvement companions are more and more recognizing that reworking meals methods shouldn’t be solely needed for meals safety, but in addition a key pathway for job creation, poverty discount, and inclusive development.
A primary of its sort Excessive-Stage Studying Occasion for Meals System Resilience Program (FSRP) for Jap and Southern Africawas held in Addis Ababa in March 2025. The occasion was convened by the Intergovernmental Authority on Growth (IGAD)in collaboration with the African Union Fee (AUC)the Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Analysis and Growth for Southern Africa (CCARDESA)and the World Financial institution.
The Meals Programs Resilience Program is significant for job creation because it stimulates employment throughout the complete agricultural worth chain—from manufacturing and processing to advertising and distribution. By investing in climate-resilient infrastructure and practices, this system opens up alternatives for rural employment. It additionally fosters entrepreneurship, notably amongst youth and girls, particularly by way of offering entry to market linkages.
The educational occasion aimed to strengthen institutional studying and promote cross-country data trade inside the FSRP. It centered on translating proof into motion, advancing digital transformation, supporting commerce integration, and bettering Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) compliance. The occasion created a dynamic, multi-level platform to speed up studying, elevate coverage dialogue, and align FSRP interventions with nationwide, regional, and continental priorities.
Through the conversations on the occasion, individuals highlighted an pressing want for steady studying inside and between international locations to make sure classes are utilized successfully in program implementation.
As expressed by Dr. Abdi Fidar, Director for IGAD Local weather Prediction and Software Middle, “Realizing what every nation is doing in its program. Member states are studying from each other. What are one of the best practices, and the way can we slim present gaps.”
Individuals additionally emphasised the necessity to have a extra structured mechanism to seize data seize from totally different international locations to assist it software.
The occasion put a highlight on the potential of digital know-how to spice up agriculture productiveness and resilience, with many international locations desperate to undertake what others have performed.
“We’re already studying about digitization from Kenya, and we wish to study extra from Ethiopia who’re already extra superior,” mentioned Teddie Nakhuma, FSRP Program Coordinator in Malawi.
The advantages of digital know-how might be actually achieved when they’re scaled up. Digital instruments like farmer registries and real-time advisory companies had been highlighted as vital improvements. However the area faces challenges equivalent to restricted digital literacy and infrastructure, knowledge safety and fragmented platforms. Individuals pressured the necessity for regional coordination and higher help methods to successfully use these instruments.
Individuals additionally highlighted commerce challenges, equivalent to inconsistent insurance policies and sanitary and phytosanitary requirements, proceed to hinder commerce inside Africa, and specialists known as for unified requirements and funding in compliance methods. Commerce scorecards and digital traceability instruments had been seen as promising improvements to handle these challenges. Nevertheless, there have been issues concerning the lack of widespread requirements, weak enforcement, and underused knowledge. Extra coaching could be wanted to completely understand the potential of those instruments.
Lastly, strengthening collaboration between African international locations and aligning with the African Union’s agenda is essential to constructing a extra resilient meals system throughout the continent. A tradition of steady studying among the many international locations must be embedded within the area’s efforts for a extra meals safe future.
We’d like a platform for us to trade concepts and study from different companions. We have to learn the way others are interacting with the international locations and international locations want to listen to our expectations, so we will transfer ahead collectively,” mentioned Dr Majola Mabuza, APPSA Regional Coordinator.
As Jap and Southern African international locations edge ever nearer to 2030 and the purpose of ending starvation, there isn’t a scarcity of fine concepts on how one can get us there. Nations now have the chance to kickstart and speed up investments that can drive higher outcomes for generations to return.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The World Financial institution Group.
