Dr Godfred Seidu Jasaw, chairman of Parliament’s Food and Agriculture Committee and the African Food Systems Parliamentary Network, called on African governments to make deliberate and sustained investments in the continent’s food systems during the 20th Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF) held at the Kigali Convention Centre from 1–4 September 2026.
He warned that domestic investment in food systems remains far below what is required for meaningful agricultural transformation and food security. “Investments, particularly domestic investments in the food systems sector, are still nothing to write home about,” the Member of Parliament for Wa East said.
Dr Jasaw challenged governments to rethink how they design national investment plans to make them attractive to financial institutions. He argued that banks and other lenders are primarily driven by viability and profitability, so plans must demonstrate clear commercial potential. “We shouldn’t sit and lament and say the financial institutions are not giving us credit. In fact, their motive is profit. So, if they see sense in their investment plans, they will go for it,” he said.
He highlighted the state’s role in reducing the burden on farmers and young entrepreneurs by providing basic infrastructure and platforms that enable viable business plans. “If the youth has to put in his plan, providing irrigation facilities, warehouse, corn milling machinery, tractor, land; if he has to put all these in his plan, then he will not be able to provide an attractive plan that will attract investments,” Dr Jasaw said.
The forum, themed “Investing in Africa’s Agri‑Food Systems: Nourishing Nations, Growing Jobs, Building Resilience,” brought together stakeholders from across Africa and beyond. Ghana was represented by a delegation that included Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture John Dumelo and a group of young agripreneurs, supported by AGRA. AGRA Ghana Country Director Dr Betty Annan said the youth’s participation would yield significant benefits for Ghana’s food systems.
Feed Ghana Programme coordinator Bright Edward Kodzo Demordzi urged sustained support and coaching for young people entering agriculture, stressing the need to move beyond start‑ups to commercially viable businesses. He called for monitoring and follow‑up to assess whether beneficiaries could scale up and create jobs.
Scientists also expressed optimism. Dr Daniel Dzidzienyo of the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement and Dr Jerry Nboyine of CSIR praised the forum’s focus on young people and its role in fostering collaboration across the value chain to ensure food security on the continent.
As the forum concludes, African leaders are expected to return home with renewed commitments to channel more domestic resources into food systems, aligning investment plans with the profitability criteria that will attract private capital and drive sustainable agricultural growth.
