Heifer International has called on African governments, development partners, and investors to focus on youth-driven agricultural innovations and community-led solutions as Africa faces a growing hunger crisis. The organisation emphasized this need ahead of the Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF) 2025 in Dakar, highlighting alarming data from the 2025 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report, which reveals that 307 million people in Africa—almost one in five—are currently suffering from hunger.
Adesuwa Ifedi, Senior Vice President of Africa Programs at Heifer International, stressed that addressing the scale of the hunger crisis requires collaborative efforts that go beyond traditional donor support. She pointed out that Africa’s food systems need bold, cooperative strategies that evolve existing funding models to sustainably and effectively meet the continent’s food security demands.
The Africa Food Systems Forum 2025, under the theme “Africa’s Youth: Leading Collaboration, Innovation and Implementation of Agri-Food Systems Transformation,” brings together policymakers, private sector leaders, development agencies, farmers, and agripreneurs from across Africa. This week-long event, running from August 31 to September 5, aims to foster dialogue and solutions focused on youth leadership in agriculture.
At the forum, Heifer International showcased results from its AYuTe NextGen initiative, launched in 2021, which has mobilized over $11 million in investments to support nearly 100 youth-led agritech businesses. These ventures have generated 23,000 jobs and reached 3.5 million smallholder farming households. The organisation also highlighted partnerships, such as with Hello Tractor, which combine innovative financing and technology-driven mechanization to boost smallholder farmers’ incomes. Heifer drew attention to locally led initiatives addressing systemic barriers, especially those improving rural women’s access to credit, such as Savings and Loans Groups in Senegal that enable women excluded from formal banking to pool resources and expand farming activities.
Aissatou Deh, Treasurer of the JAM Group, shared how Heifer’s support has transformed women’s economic participation in her community, enabling them to run businesses, earn income, and gain confidence in leadership roles, thereby shaping the future of their communities.
Throughout the six-day forum, Heifer International is hosting side events focused on youth-led agricultural innovations, participating in investment discussions, and showcasing farmer-led successes that underscore the sustainability of its ecosystem approach. Adesuwa Ifedi reiterated Heifer’s call for all stakeholders to invest in Africa’s youth and smallholder farmers to build resilient, inclusive, and sustainable food systems.
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