Eastern and Southern Africa stand at a crucial juncture in their journey to revamp their food systems into drivers of economic prosperity and progress. With a burgeoning population, rapid urbanization, and evolving dietary preferences, the region is witnessing a surge in the demand for safe, nutritious, and easily accessible food.
However, this demand is met with challenges such as climate change, land degradation, and inefficiencies in the supply chain, prompting a reevaluation of food production, processing, and distribution methods. The region is home to over 230 million people, many of whom grapple with extreme poverty and struggle to access sufficient, safe, and nutritious food on a daily basis. In 2024, approximately 62.9 million individuals in seven out of eight IGAD countries are facing high levels of acute food insecurity.
Amidst these dynamics, there lies a vast array of opportunities—from harnessing digital innovations and scaling climate-smart agriculture to bolstering regional trade. Stakeholders, including governments, private sector entities, and development partners, are increasingly recognizing that overhauling food systems is not only imperative for food security but also serves as a crucial avenue for job creation, poverty alleviation, and inclusive growth.
An inaugural High-Level Learning Event for the Food System Resilience Program (FSRP) for Eastern and Southern Africa was convened in Addis Ababa in March 2025. Organized by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in collaboration with the African Union Commission (AUC), the Centre for Coordination of Agricultural Research and Development for Southern Africa (CCARDESA), and the World Bank, the event aimed to foster institutional learning and facilitate cross-country knowledge exchange within the FSRP.
The FSRP plays a pivotal role in job creation by stimulating employment opportunities across the agricultural value chain, promoting climate-resilient infrastructure, and practices, and fostering entrepreneurship, particularly among youth and women. The learning event focused on translating evidence into action, advancing digital transformation, supporting trade integration, and enhancing Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) compliance to accelerate learning, elevate policy dialogue, and align FSRP interventions with national, regional, and continental priorities.
Participants emphasized the importance of continuous learning within and between countries to ensure effective implementation of lessons learned. Dr. Abdi Fidar, Director for IGAD Climate Prediction and Application Center, stressed the significance of sharing best practices and narrowing existing gaps among member states.
The event underscored the potential of digital technology in boosting agricultural productivity and resilience, with a focus on scaling up digital tools like farmer registries and real-time advisory services. However, challenges such as limited digital literacy, infrastructure, data protection, and fragmented platforms need to be addressed through regional coordination and enhanced support systems.
Trade challenges, including inconsistent policies and standards, were identified as barriers to intra-African trade, prompting calls for unified standards and investments in compliance systems. Participants highlighted the importance of trade scorecards and digital traceability tools in addressing these challenges, emphasizing the need for more training to fully leverage the potential of these tools.
Collaboration between African countries and alignment with the African Union’s agenda were deemed essential for building a resilient food system across the continent. Dr. Majola Mabuza, APPSA Regional Coordinator, stressed the need for continuous learning and exchange of ideas among countries for a food-secure future.
As Eastern and Southern African countries approach 2030 and the goal of eradicating hunger, there is a wealth of innovative ideas to drive progress. It is now up to these nations to kickstart and accelerate investments that will yield positive outcomes for future generations.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The World Bank Group.
