African CSOs advance commercial agri-food system’s aspects

By Temwa Mhone

KIGALI-(MaraviPost)-On the sidelines of the 2026 Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF2026) in Kigali, Rwanda, African Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) repositioned themselves from the margins of agri-food convenings to the centre of implementation, accountability and inclusive investment to advance the embracing of commercial aspects of agriculture for sustainable development on the continent.

There is a structural crisis in driving agricultural transformation in Africa with the decline of international development finance.

African Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have advocated for restructuring of financial instruments to recognise smallholder farmers and youth enterprises as viable and fundable investments for growth.

Traditional Western Official Development Assistance has entered a historic decline marked by a record-breaking contraction of over 23 percent in 2025, with deep cuts to bilateral grants, social sector spending, and core United Nations contributions persisting through 2026.

For African agri-food systems, this aggressive withdrawal of foreign aid threatens to widen execution gaps, leaving the smallholders, women, and youth who form the continent’s agricultural backbone acutely vulnerable to accelerating climate and market shocks.

Dubbed Championing Grassroots Leadership to Unlock Investment session, the African CSOs pivoted away from aid dependency and toward self-sustaining, innovative financial models by exploring how localised, community-led governance can actively de-risk agricultural investments, turning informal grassroots networks into highly organised, transparent pipelines for alternative capital.

Setting the tone for investment and accountability, African Union Commission Engagement Lead with CARE International, Chikondi Chabvuta-Mkawa, said the commercial aspect of agriculture should be embraced by positioning local communities not merely as aid recipients but as primary managers and co-designers of food systems infrastructure.

“The world is moving towards more business, so we are bridging the gap between emerging impact investors and rural realities. We have charted actionable pathways to blend public, private, philanthropic and domestic capital directly into grassroots-led climate resilience, food security and localised job creation,” she said.

Chabvuta-Mkawa, who is also the Chairperson of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Non-State Actor (NSA), said the development has made the CSOs a strategic accountability and delivery partner in the implementation of CAADP Kampala Implementation Guidelines (2026-2035), national agriculture investment plans, food systems pathways and AFSF2026 investment commitments.

“In the next five years, the targets set in the CAADP Kampala to transform Africa’s agri-food systems into resilient, sustainable and inclusive engines of growth will be achieved.

Production will increase with postharvest losses reduced. We will go beyond the social aspect of agriculture by embracing the economic side, encompassing markets, nutrition, the environment, and resilience, so that the systems are future-ready and equitable.

Agricultural trade will increase between countries as our products thrive in international markets,” she said.

ActionAid International project manager, Constance Okeke, said CSOs are essential for translating continental commitments into community-level results and for ensuring that the voices of farmers, youth, women and vulnerable groups shape implementation.

“Inclusive investment is not only about mobilising more money. It is about designing investment so that it reaches smallholders, youth enterprises, women-led businesses, informal food actors and local communities through fair, transparent and climate-resilient delivery systems. We will deliver on this,” she said.

Malawi Civil Society Agriculture Network director, Elizabeth Namaona, said the development demands mutual accountability on commitments and service delivery, including on resources entrusted to CSOs.

“We should demand high quality and impact of our interventions in the communities we serve. We should be true to ourselves on transparency, evidence-based programming, innovation and financial sustainability to be credible and relevant as we demand the same from our governments,” she said.

The CSOs move aligns with the AU’s appeal to African governments to exercise political will to invest in agri-food systems with attention to smallholder farmers, youth, women, informal markets, decent jobs, nutrition, climate resilience and community safeguards.

Speaking at the forum’s official opening ceremony, Vilakati said the continent has excellent policies that should be implemented to address the challenges of food production.

“We know how to address these challenges. What is needed is the political will of governments to collaborate, invest, and be accountable to strengthen agri-food systems and climate adaptation, and to create jobs. We love to make policies, but our people need action and investments. The political will will help Africa to move from being a food importer to a processor and exporter of agricultural products,” Vilakati said.

The forum, which was held under the theme: Investing in Agri-Food Systems: Nourishing Nations, Growing Jobs and Building Resilience, took place from 31 August to 4 September 2026.

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