This Week, on African Farms

Aliko Dangote has dramatically expanded his commitment to East Africa’s agricultural sovereignty by raising his group's total investment in Ethiopia from $2.5 billion to over $4 billion. This mega-project will build a 110-kilometer pipeline, a 120MW power plant, and a two-million-tonne NPK blending plant. This investment represents nearly 9% of Dangote’s total continental outlay through 2030, targeting the continent's chronic fertilizer deficit to help local farmers dramatically boost yields.

Egypt has officially launched its largest-ever desert land reclamation project, named the "New Delta." The $15.1 billion initiative, championed by President Abdel Fateh al-Sisi, wants to transform nearly 924,000 hectares of arid western Nile Delta desert into cultivable, productive farmland. The plan is to deploy large-scale water recycling infrastructure to fight the region's near-zero rainfall.

The Lagos State Government is preparing to commission the first phase of Sub-Saharan Africa’s largest food logistics hub, built to handle more than 1.5 million metric tonnes of food annually and accommodate 1,500 trucks daily. The state has activated a ₦500 billion ($364.6 million) Offtake Guarantee Fund under the "Produce for Lagos" initiative. The fund wants to stabilise local food prices and secure supply chains by providing direct aggregation, logistics, and production support to agribusinesses and farmers.

Senegal’s National Aquaculture Agency (ANA) has approved a $64.9 million (36.5 billion CFA) strategic plan to scale up domestic fish farming by 2030. The funding will largely go toward producing 52 million fish fry annually and establishing local fish-feed manufacturing plants to reduce the country's reliance on expensive feed imports.

Ghana has secured $3.09 million in Japanese funding through JICA to build a state-of-the-art rice seed production plant in Northern Ghana. Agriculture Minister Eric Opoku announced that the facility will be equipped with advanced manufacturing and agricultural machinery to improve the production of certified rice seedlings, helping to bridge the country's widening domestic supply gap.

Morocco is experiencing an olive oil export boom, with shipments to Spain surging to nearly 3,000 tonnes in the first two months of 2026. Thanks to aggressive investments in water-efficient irrigation and modernized milling facilities, Moroccan groves are reporting yield increases of up to 20% in some regions.

Bangladesh has expressed strong interest in expanding its bilateral cooperation with Morocco, particularly through agriculture, IT, and a potential Free Trade Agreement (FTA). In high-level meetings in Rabat, Bangladesh’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam invited Moroccan businesses to leverage the country's improved investment climate, with Moroccan officials indicating a business delegation will head to Bangladesh by the end of 2026.

Tanzania is on track to harvest a record 96,000 tons (1.6 million bags) of coffee during the 2026-27 season, marking its third consecutive year of production growth. According to USDA data, the boom is being driven by new plantations entering active production, highly favorable weather conditions, and strong global coffee prices that continue to incentivize local farmers to expand their output.

Egypt’s public-private New Delta desert reclamation project has secured $15.1 billion (800 billion EGP) in investment and development commitments to convert 924,000 hectares of desert into arable farmland.

Global investor Lightrock has closed its $500 million Accelerate7 growth fund, backed by Shell, TotalEnergies, Equinor, and LGT Group, to fund energy access, clean cooking, and agritech-enabling technologies across Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

Nigeria and Germany have signed a $395 million economic partnership agreement, which includes a $320 million export credit guarantee and a $25 million technical cooperation commitment to boost agriculture, energy, and private-sector investment.

Ghana has secured a $40 million investment commitment under the diaspora-led African Diaspora Venture Fund to support scalable enterprises in agriculture, fintech, and workforce development.

The Women in Tech Accelerator 2026 is offering $600,000+ in collective grants, mentorship, and global investor networks for early-to-mid-stage startups in agritech, AI, and fintech. This is open to founders in Africa, the Middle East, and Pakistan. Applications close on June 30, 2026.

The Äänit Prize by the Mandela Rhodes Foundation is accepting applications from African-led social impact ventures. They are offering up to $100,000 in funding for active projects in climate, agriculture, health, and education. The deadline is June 17, 2026.

The GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition 2026 is now open, offering young African agribusiness founders a chance to win up to $50,000 in funding alongside mentorship and investor exposure. According to the organisers, the initiative is focused on identifying scalable and impact-driven agribusinesses across the continent.

The AfCFTA Startup Acceleration Programme 2026 is looking for 30 high-potential startups in agtech, logistics, and manufacturing to help them scale into global markets, with a special focus on Korea. Apply at [email protected] before May 24, 2026.

The Global Youth Empowerment Fund (YEF) 2026 is open for applications. They are offering up to €5,000 in funding for social-impact projects that promote sustainable agriculture in Eastern Africa. The deadline is May 22, 2026

The School of Agricultural Policy has opened applications for its next cohort. The training program is designed to equip young Africans with the policy analysis skills needed to tackle food systems, climate, and development challenges on the ground.

The Resolution Foundation is recruiting for three research and policy roles focused on economic and livelihood issues. If you’re a policy worker looking to make a difference, check out their open positions.