Publications /
Policy Brief

Back
Agricultural Investment in Africa: A Low Level… Numerous Opportunities
Authors
January 12, 2018

Agricultural investment is a necessary requirement to develop and organize the agricultural sector in Africa. The African agricultural potential offers opportunities to be seized in terms of intensification of production and structuring of the agricultural value chains. Although it is diversified, agricultural investment (public, private and foreign investments), remains weak. The shift towards a modern and intensive mode of agriculture must necessarily go through the development of a comprehensive agricultural policy that takes into account several components (irrigation, use of inputs and organization of marketing facilities). It should finally lead to a sufficient agricultural production that ensures food security for the population and to an active agricultural sector well integrated in the economy of African countries.

RELATED CONTENT

  • Authors
    Tharcisse Guèdègbé
    August 29, 2018
    African leaders have made many commitments to promote strong growth in the agricultural sector, with a focus on productivity, in particular by using fertilizers. Currently, progress is slow. Goals have not yet been reached in most countries, as the favorable conditions required to do so have not been created. Targeted action is needed to reduce transaction costs and to improve farmers’ access to fertilizers. However, such action will have limited impact without the introduction of a ...
  • Authors
    Tharcisse Guèdègbé
    August 29, 2018
    De nombreux engagements ont été pris par les dirigeants africains en vue d’induire une forte croissance agricole en mettant l’accent sur la productivité, notamment par le recours aux engrais. Actuellement, les progrès sont lents et les engagements pris ne sont, pour la majeure partie des pays, pas encore respectés, faute de non mise en place de conditions favorables à l’atteinte de ces objectifs. Des interventions ciblées sont nécessaires pour réduire les coûts de transaction et amé ...
  • Authors
    July 23, 2018
    Why do farmers need access to newer technologies on a recurrent basis? Most subsistence farmers already know how to farm and undertake post-harvest processing from their parents. The main reason to turn to technology is that traditional techniques for subsistence agriculture are grossly insufficient when it comes to generating the productivity and output growth required to adequately lift millions out of poverty and keep them out of it. “Efficient but poor” as Schultz (1964:37) put ...
  • Authors
    January 12, 2018
    Agricultural investment is a necessary requirement to develop and organize the agricultural sector in Africa. The African agricultural potential offers opportunities to be seized in terms of intensification of production and structuring of the agricultural value chains. Although it is diversified, agricultural investment (public, private and foreign investments), remains weak. The shift towards a modern and intensive mode of agriculture must necessarily go through the development of ...
  • Authors
    Tharcisse Guèdègbé
    December 22, 2017
    L’agriculture africaine a connu dernièrement une croissance relativement élevée, quoique peu résiliente et tirée principalement par l’extensification. Malgré sa diversité, les niveaux de production restent insuffisants pour autonomiser le continent surtout pour ce qui est des produits alimentaires de base. En misant sur l’intégration, des marges de progrès se présentent aux pays africains pour améliorer l’écosystème de l’agriculture africaine et ses performances. Il s’agit de puiser ...
  • October 10, 2017
    L’objet de ce travail est de proposer la mise en place d’un partenariat de progrès entre la Chine et le Maroc, centré sur la question agroalimentaire en Afrique. C’est dans ce continent que la demande alimentaire va augmenter d’une façon très sensible au cours du XXIème siècle notamment en raison de sa progression démographique et de l’accélération de son urbanisation. L’Afrique est dans l’obligation de réussir sa révolution agricole pour combattre la faim et la pauvreté, accéder à ...
  • Authors
    Onasis Tharcisse A. Guedegbe
    March 31, 2017
    In comparison to previous decades, remarkable economic performance accompanied the entry of African economies into the new millennium. The agricultural sector, which remains the cornerstone of economic and social development, has not remained on the sidelines. Overall, this sector continues to show robust growth, driven by an increase in productivity, measured in part and overall terms. However, lower-level results point to serious disparities and a need to strengthen progress towar ...
  • Authors
    Onasis Tharcisse A. Guedegbe
    March 31, 2017
    L’entrée des économies africaines dans le nouveau millénaire s’est accompagnée de performances économiques remarquables, par rapport aux décennies antérieures. Le secteur agricole, qui demeure la clé de voûte du développement économique et social, n’est pas resté en marge. Globalement, ce secteur continue d’enregistrer une croissance robuste, tirée par une hausse de la productivité, mesurée de façon partielle et globale. Les résultats à plus basse échelle laissent toutefois entrevoi ...
  • Authors
    Ezana Bocresion
    May 9, 2016
    Ultimately, the question we need to ask ourselves is what sort of investment approach or model best addresses the challenges to the growth of the African Agribusiness Industry. The macro variables around African Agribusiness point to an excellent investment opportunity. The combination of low cost of entry, low production cost, opportunity to increase productivity, and high local prices suggest an attractive return profile. However, the opportunity exists because of basic market f ...
  • July 21, 2015
    The 16th Annual Global Development Conference has been dedicated this year to the theme of ‘Agriculture for Sustainable Growth: Challenges and Opportunities for a New ‘Green Revolution’.  One of the sub-themes that has been addressed during this event is related to the design of the optimal agricultural policy supposed to lead towards development, especially in low-income countries. The objective of this blog is to cover the key elements that make an agricultural policy successful a ...