Scaling up local food production in Africa

Local food transformation is increasingly recognised as a key lever for economic development and structural transformation. Across the continent, African countries are embracing value addition as a pathway to industrialisation, employment generation, and greater resilience to external shocks. The shift from exporting raw commodities to building competitive local value chains reflects a deeper ambition: to retain value domestically, empower small and medium agro-enterprises, and position agriculture as a driver of inclusive growth.

Value addition, through agro-processing, packaging, and distribution, strengthens the competitiveness of African food systems and embeds them within national development strategies. It enables countries to capture more value domestically, supports the growth of small and medium agro-enterprises, and fosters resilient local markets less exposed to global disruptions.

In Madagascar, for example, rice remains the dominant staple, central to both agriculture and diets. Yet, despite its importance, local production continues to fall short of national demand—especially in the wake of recurring droughts, necessitating regular imports to bridge the gap. Chronic challenges such as stagnant yields, high post-harvest losses, and climate-related shocks have compounded this structural deficit. As a result, Madagascar imports more than 80% of its rice from India, leaving it highly exposed to international price fluctuations and export restrictions (Laborde & Mamun, 2024). A similar pattern is evident in Benin, where 80% of wheat is imported, underscoring the broader vulnerability of African food systems to global market disruptions.

Across the continent, governments are shifting gears, reworking agricultural and industrial policies to focus on producing and processing more food locally. It’s a move that goes well beyond reducing import bills. By backing local production and adding value through agro-processing, countries are betting on a model that can create jobs, boost rural economies, and keep more of the economic gains within their borders. The shift echoes the ambitions of the Kampala Declaration, a continental call to action that puts local food systems and value chains at the centre of Africa’s development.

However, countries face similar obstacles when prioritising local food production and agricultural processing. 

For this reason, the Zero Hunger Coalition organised a workshop for countries to share experiences and reflect on their challenges and how to overcome them related to local food production. This workshop, part of the Coalition’s South-South dialogue, was co-organised with the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries of Benin and attended by representatives from Cameroon, Benin, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Madagascar and the Republic of Guinea. 

Shared barriers, common ground 

Several recurring challenges emerged in the transition toward local production. These included poor infrastructure (roads, cold chains, storage), limited technological innovation, fragmented policies, and restricted access to finance, especially for small and medium agro-processors. 

As Aguemon Dossa, National Coordinator of Food Systems in Benin, noted, his country is making important strides but is confronted with adopting quality standards, securing stable energy supplies, and making logistics affordable—all within governance frameworks that call for the improved inclusion of small producers (or smallholder farmers). 

Trade barriers further complicate the picture. Despite the integration of frameworks established by ECOWAS to promote the free movement of goods, effectively upholding these commitments remains a major challenge. Benin illustrates this difficulty well. In principle, Beninese products should access regional markets without tariff barriers, in accordance with the Common External Tariff. However, in practice, Nigeria regularly imposes additional taxes, leading to import restrictions on goods from Benin, undermining the principles of regional cooperation. This situation, marked by fiscal asymmetry and non-compliance with common rules, hinders subregional integration and penalises local producers. It also highlights the need for countries like Benin to invest in the development of local food processing as a way to reduce trade dependency and strengthen economic sovereignty.

For Francine Picard, Coordinator of the Zero Hunger Coalition, overcoming these obstacles requires a systems approach, one that connects production, logistics, standards and markets within a coherent governance framework. But to make that shift, political will is crucial. From fiscal incentives to infrastructure development, only bold, coordinated reforms can unlock the full potential of local food transformation. 

National strategies taking shape 

Countries have begun implementing concrete strategies to anchor local transformation as a driver of food sovereignty, job creation, industrial competitiveness and inclusive growth. 

For example, Benin’s Government Action Plan 2021–2026 (PAG II) seeks to position the country as a regional agro-food hub. The Glo-Djigbé Industrial Zone (GDIZ) plays a key role in this ambition, offering modern infrastructure and significant tax incentives to firms transforming local crops like cotton, cashew, soy, pineapple and shea. With 14 industries already installed, the GDIZ addresses one of the biggest gaps in food transformation (concerning many African countries): the lack of infrastructure. 

In Madagascar, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock and the State Secretariat for Food Sovereignty are advancing a transformation-driven agenda to strengthen food security and promote local value chains. Central to this strategy is the Economic Development Board of Madagascar (EDBM), which plays a key role in attracting both domestic and international investment across strategic sectors such as agribusiness, aquaculture, textiles, energy, and mining. The EDBM helps mobilise private capital to scale up local processing, generate employment, and enhance food and nutrition security through inclusive value chain development.

Agro-processing has emerged as a national priority. As Alain Randrianarivelo, Investment Manager at EDBM, explains, recent reforms—including a new investment law—aim to level the playing field for foreign and local investors and foster a more conducive business environment.

Bringing in the private sector 

Throughout Africa, there is a growing recognition that the government alone cannot undertake these changes. Private investment is essential—generating employment, adding value, and contributing to national wealth, even if indirectly. Agencies such as EDBM in Madagascar, APIEx in Benin, RDB in Rwanda, and KenInvest in Kenya work in close partnership with agriculture ministries to foster environments conducive to investment and transformation. However, access to finance remains essential. 

While the private sector is crucial to scaling food systems transformation, it also faces significant challenges in scaling up local production. Taking the example of Benin, Edith Mireille Deguenon, Director of Oasis des Enfants, highlights how small enterprises struggle with outdated equipment, inadequate packaging, and limited access to essential raw materials, like maize and soy. Competitiveness is also hindered by the high costs of gasoline and machinery, complex certification procedures, and high taxation.  

A lack of finance  

As highlighted by the public sector, financing remains a major barrier to scaling up local production.  

As noted in the Shamba Centre for Food & Climate and Global Donor Platform for Rural Development (GDPRD) report, “Unleashing the catalytic power of donor financing to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 2”, agrifood SMEs in Sub-Saharan Africa have an estimated financial need of USD 90 billion. However, only USD 15.5 billion of this need is met, leaving a financing gap of USD 74.5 billion. 

Women entrepreneurs are particularly harmed, as they often lack land titles and face restrictive banking requirements. These constraints stifle local innovation and limit the sector's capacity to combat malnutrition. 

In fragile contexts such as the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), this financing gap is even more acute. As Mike Limbuko, Food Security and Livelihood Specialist at FAO-DRC, points out, development assistance must be better aligned with national priorities and coordination platforms such as the National Food Systems Task Force. Effective investment planning requires consolidating technical, economic, and financial data to guide resource allocation and strengthen accountability mechanisms.

One promising approach underway in the DRC is the design of a joint financing framework. This model aims to pool public, private, and international resources to support priority value chains, such as maize, cassava, and beans, that are vital for food security and rural livelihoods.

Catalysing collective solutions 

Multi-stakeholder platforms such as the Resilient Local Food Supply Chains Alliance (RLFSC Alliance) are helping bridge these gaps. The Alliance supports governments, civil society and private actors in co-designing policies and implementing solutions for resilient local food supply chains. 

For example, its Re.Food project, targeting five African countries, strengthens advocacy, expands partnerships, and builds the technical and institutional capacity for local food systems. 

In parallel, initiatives such as the Zero Hunger Coalition’s South-South Dialogues offer important platforms for peer learning and sharing country-led innovation 

Both the RLFSC Alliance and the Zero Hunger Coalition emerged from the UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) and share a common mission: to support countries in advancing inclusive, sustainable food systems transformation. Greater collaboration between these coalitions could amplify impact, align efforts, and accelerate progress toward national and regional goals noted Simona Giordano from the RLFSC Alliance.

From vulnerability to resilience 

As mentioned by the moderator, Lie Maminiaina, Political Adviser at the Shamba Centre, local food transformation is not a technical fix—it is a strategic imperative. It marks a shift from vulnerability to agency, from dependency to self-reliance. The countries participating in the webinar demonstrated that success lies in grounded policy, inclusive governance and integrated investment, anchored in national ambition and international collaboration.  

As the participants highlighted, with the right support, local production can become a cornerstone for African food sovereignty and sustainable development.