Agriculture as part of Africa’s structural transformation

Abstract

One of the pillars and, indeed, driving force, of Africa’s structural transformation is agriculture. Evidence suggests that countries that have increased productivity across the globe benefited from economic growth sustained by agricultural transformation. Africans have an opportunity, now more than at any time before, to change their lives through increased agricultural productivity and enhanced agribusiness that connects smallholders to national, regional and global value chains. Food security has been given rightful prominence in the debate but cannot be a replacement for real transformation. It is important to renew the building blocks that are necessary for a deeper discussion of the connection to be made between agriculture and industrialisation. This paper proposes a six-point strategy to address major obstacles hampering African agricultural transformation.