This Week, on African Farms

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is aiming to raise agricultural lending above the current standard of less than 5% of banks’ total credit. Governor Olayemi Cardoso emphasized that agriculture must regain its rightful place in national economic planning, noting that the sector contributes over one-fifth of Nigeria’s GDP yet receives a disproportionately small share of credit from banks.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has launched a five-year project to support its regional “Offensive Lait” initiative, aimed at strengthening local dairy value chains. The project is funded by a $11.9 million grant from the French Development Agency (AFD), with the goal of doubling milk production by 2030.

South Africa’s Foot-and-Mouth disease crisis has escalated into a governance standoff, threatening national food security, exports, and the livestock sector. Industry leaders accuse senior state veterinarians of blocking urgent disease-control measures, including vaccine approvals, crippling the response. Experts warn of systemic failure, suggesting the country faces at least 2 more years of ongoing FMD battles.

The hunger crisis in Malawi continues to worsen, with around 5.7 million people, roughly 28% of the population, acutely affected by food insecurity. The country was hit hard by the El Niño phenomenon, resulting in the maize harvest being around 17% lower than the five-year average in 2024. The crisis, driven by extreme weather, economic pressure, and weak agricultural structures, has required the government to declare a state of emergency in 23 districts.

Nigeria’s evolving food planning framework is drawing attention to structural pressures across the food economy, with new figures showing that combined food imports and exports nearly reached ₦5 trillion (approximately $3.3 billion), while many farmers reported losses on major staples during the 2025 wet season. The data highlights how the country’s food system is shaped by high import bills and production shortfalls.

The Chamber of Agriculture, Fisheries, Livestock and Forest Industries of Cameroon (CAPEF-South) held a major training workshop in Sangmélima on transforming cocoa into chocolate and other derivative products. This effort is part of a broader push to align with Cameroon’s import-substitution strategy and comes as the country recorded a historic cocoa output of 309,518 tonnes during the 2024-2025 season, an increase of 13%.

Seaweed farmers in Boma Subutini, Tanzania, are urging the government to intensify its crackdown on kokoro fishing, warning that the destructive nets are damaging marine ecosystems and destroying seaweed farms. The practice threatens one of Tanzania’s fastest-growing blue-economy sectors, which employs thousands, mainly women and youth, and produces up to 3,000 tonnes of dried seaweed annually in Mkinga alone.

The African Development Bank Group has approved a $159.50 million loan to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to improve connectivity to the Ngandajika Agro-Industrial Park. The project focuses on upgrading roads and extending the Mbuji-Mayi airport runway to support agro-industrial air freight.

The Heineken Africa Foundation, through Nigerian Breweries Plc, has committed $2.7 million (₦4 billion) to train 14,000 smallholder farmers in smart and regenerative agriculture across seven local government areas of Bauchi State over the next three years. Of the beneficiaries, 60 per cent are women, and 40% are youth.

MTN Ghana, in collaboration with the University of Ghana and Defarmercist Group, has inaugurated a Vegetable Centre of Excellence. The five-acre facility, funded by a GH₵3 million investment (approximately $200,000), features greenhouses, drip irrigation, and solar power, designed to equip young farmers with practical skills and promote sustainable, technology-driven agriculture.

The West African Peasant Seed Fair (FIASP/COASP) is being held in Niamtougou, northern Togo, until Thursday, December 11, 2025. The event has drawn agricultural participants from 30 African countries, along with delegations from Europe, Asia and the Americas, providing a platform for local seed systems and traditional farming knowledge.

The final pledging meeting for the African Development Fund's (ADF-17) Seventeenth Replenishment will be co-hosted by the governments of the UK and Ghana in London, UK, from December 15–16, 2025. The meeting will adopt the financing package for the 2026–2028 cycle, providing critical resources to 37 low-income African countries.