By Abdallah el-Kurebe I July 31, 2025 | The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) unveiled its 2024 Annual Report, showcasing a transformative year marked by deepened country-led initiatives, enhanced climate resilience, and strengthened market competitiveness across 12 African nations.
With a bold strategy firmly rooted in national priorities and continental frameworks, AGRA accelerated implementation of its Strategy 3.0, committing over USD 164 million in programmatic resources to empower smallholder farmers—the backbone of Africa’s food security.
Key Highlights:
- Building Resilience Through Innovation: AGRA’s partnership with governments and local institutions saw significant gains in regenerative agriculture in eastern Kenya, nearly tripling sorghum yields and boosting farmer incomes through sustainable practices such as mulching and microdosing.
- Expanding Youth and Women Leadership: The launch of the Youth Employment for Food and Agriculture (YEFFA) initiative successfully engaged nearly 500,000 youth, with strong emphasis on young women, fostering inclusive agribusiness leadership and policy participation. Likewise, the VALUE4HER platform elevated over 3,500 women-led agribusinesses by enhancing access to markets, finance, and mentorship.
- Seed Systems and Market Integration: AGRA’s Center of Excellence for Seed Systems in Africa (CESSA) championed quality seed access with a record 63,897 tons of certified seed produced in Nigeria alone, driving a 52% adoption rate of improved seeds and lifting productivity for thousands of smallholders.
- Policy and Partnership Milestones: The Nairobi Declaration on Fertilizer and Soil Health, endorsed by African Union member states, underscored a continent-wide commitment to triple fertilizer access by 2034. AGRA’s pivotal role in this and in advancing the Kampala Declaration cemented integrated food system plans in 11 countries.
- Transformative Collaborations: AGRA reintroduced its strategic initiatives to catalyze climate action, food system innovation, and trade integration, notably through its leadership in the Africa Food Security and Trade Initiative (AFSTI) and landmark Green Climate Fund approval for the RE-GAIN Program.
AGRA Board Chair, H.E. Hailemariam Dessalegn, praised the organization’s strides: “AGRA is moving beyond incremental change, driving systems transformation where it matters most—for smallholder farmers and national economies alike.”
Incoming President Alice Ruhweza emphasized the role of inclusive partnerships: “Our future lies in empowering Africa’s youth and women, strengthening policies, and fostering sustainable practices that ensure food security and economic prosperity.”
AGRA’s 2024 investments facilitated new opportunities in crucial value chains—maize, rice, soybean, horticulture—and strengthened intra-African trade through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), positioning local farmers to tap into expanding regional markets.
As Africa confronts climate pressures, economic challenges, and dynamic food demand, the 2024 Annual Report highlights AGRA’s pivotal role in converting agriculture from a struggle for survival into thriving agribusinesses, thereby charting a hopeful path for the continent’s food future.
The full AGRA 2024 Annual Report details these breakthroughs and more, reflecting AGRA’s commitment to sustainably growing Africa’s food systems—country-led and people-powered.
Citations:
[1] AGRA-REPORT.pdf https://ppl-ai-file-upload.s3.amazonaws.com/web/direct-files/attachments/29235862/ed0b827b-ecae-430d-b5ee-a9df82450d06/AGRA-REPORT.pdf
