Senegal's leader states Africa has “all it needs” to become self-sufficient in food

(MENAFN) Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye stated on Monday that Africa has the potential to feed the entire planet, emphasizing that youth must play a central role in transforming the continent’s agricultural sector, according to reports.

Speaking at the opening session of the Africa Food Systems Forum in Dakar, Faye said Africa has “all it needs” to become self-sufficient in food and could help “feed the whole world.” He highlighted that with 65% of the world’s arable land, a creative youth population, and vast resources, the continent possesses the tools to achieve food sovereignty.

Faye encouraged African nations to rely on themselves for food security and adopt a solution-driven approach, calling for significant investments in water management, innovation, local processing, and intra-African trade.

At the summit, Rwandan President Paul Kagame remarked that Africa “can't keep depending on the rest of the world when we have everything, when our people know what to do, when there is, really, nothing lacking.” He added, “We need to move from talking to doing. The youth must also step up and match their demands with real action.”

The Africa Food Systems Forum, running through September 5, seeks to gather stakeholders to advance sustainable and inclusive agri-food systems across the continent.

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