By Stella Odueme
More than 500 African leaders, ministers, policymakers, development finance institutions, research organisations, private-sector leaders and development partners have adopted the Abuja Clarion Call on Sustainable Financing for Agricultural Research, Development and Innovation (AR4D), marking a historic commitment to transform how Africa finances the science, technology and innovation needed to achieve food security, climate resilience and inclusive economic transformation.
The Abuja Clarion Call was adopted during the High-Level Ministerial Dialogue on Sustainable Financing for Agricultural Research, Development and Innovation, jointly organised by the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) and the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) as part of the 9th Africa Agriculture Science Week (AASW9) in Abuja.
The High-Level Dialogue brought together Honourable Senator Abubakar Kyari, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; Ms Bongi Njobe, Chairperson of the Board of FARA; Dr Aggrey Agumya, Executive Director of FARA; Dr Mark Bagabe, former Honourable Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Rwanda; Dr Dora Siliya, former Honourable Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Zambia; Mr Mohammed Abu Ibrahim, Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF); Mr Ayodeji Oludare Sotinrin, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Bank of Agriculture, alongside senior government officials, representatives of the Government of the Federative Republic of Brazil, the African Union Commission, AUDA-NEPAD, Regional Economic Communities, National Agricultural Research Systems, development finance institutions, the private sector, academia, farmer organisations and development partners.
The Dialogue was convened to strengthen political commitment, mobilise strategic investments and forge partnerships for sustainable financing of agricultural research, development and innovation across the continent.
The Dialogue was anchored by the keynote paper, “The Investment Case for Sustainable Financing of Agricultural Research, Development and Innovation in Africa,” which presented compelling evidence that agricultural research is among the highest-return public investments available to governments.
The paper demonstrated that Africa’s persistent food insecurity is not primarily the result of limited natural resources, but rather of chronic underinvestment in research, innovation and technology development.
It further argued that declining international donor financing makes it imperative for African countries to establish predictable, domestically anchored financing systems capable of sustaining long-term agricultural transformation.
Building on this evidence, ministers and stakeholders agreed that Africa must transition from fragmented, externally dependent financing towards predictable, African-led investment in agricultural research, development and innovation to deliver the aspirations of the Kampala CAADP Declaration, Agenda 2063, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Abuja Clarion Call outlines six priority commitments:
Progressively increase predictable domestic financing for agricultural research and innovation.
Establish or strengthen Agricultural Development Funds and other sustainable financing mechanisms.
Champion an African-led resource mobilisation process, including the establishment of a continental endowment fund to sustainably finance agricultural research and strengthen continental coordination through FARA.
Expand public-private partnerships to accelerate technology commercialisation and innovation.
Scale innovative financing instruments, including blended finance and impact investment.
Deepen continental collaboration among FARA, the African Union, AUDA-NEPAD, Regional Economic Communities, National Agricultural Research Systems and development partners.
A landmark outcome of the Dialogue was the recognition that Nigeria, through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, will champion an African-led resource mobilisation process aimed at establishing sustainable financing mechanisms, including a continental endowment fund, to strengthen agricultural research, innovation and continental coordination through FARA.
Participants further emphasised that financing agricultural research is not merely an expenditure but a strategic investment in Africa’s future. Increased investment in science, technology and innovation will generate improved technologies, climate-smart farming systems, resilient seed systems, competitive value chains, youth employment and enhanced food and nutrition security.
The Dialogue also called upon development finance institutions, commercial banks, philanthropic organisations and private investors to work alongside governments in mobilising blended finance and other innovative financing instruments that reduce investment risks while accelerating research commercialisation and technology scaling across Africa.
Concluding the Dialogue, participants affirmed that Africa’s agricultural transformation will ultimately be determined by Africa’s willingness to invest in its own science.
The Abuja Clarion Call therefore represents a continental commitment to move from declaration to delivery by translating political commitments into sustained investments that empower African institutions to generate African solutions for African agriculture.
As President John F. Kennedy’s call to put a man on the Moon inspired a generation to achieve what once seemed impossible, the Abuja Clarion Call challenges Africa to pursue an equally bold vision: to finance its own agricultural science, unlock its innovation potential and secure a prosperous future for generations to come.
