In a powerful address delivered this week, South Africa’s Minister of Agriculture, John Steenhuisen, laid out an ambitious vision for transforming African agriculture as the continent prepares to take center stage during South Africa’s G20 Presidency in 2025.
Speaking under the banner of the African Agri Council, Minister Steenhuisen highlighted the immense potential of agriculture to drive sustainable development, job creation, and inclusive economic growth across Africa. He positioned the continent’s food systems as both a strategic priority and a global opportunity.
“This is a pivotal moment for African agriculture,” Steenhuisen stated. “We must act urgently and strategically to ensure that farming and food production are at the heart of global solutions to poverty, climate change, and food insecurity.”
G20 Focus Areas
As part of the G20 agenda, Steenhuisen outlined several key priorities:
- Empowering youth and women in agriculture to foster inclusive growth.
- Enhancing market access by tackling infrastructure bottlenecks and reshaping trade mechanisms like the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).
- Driving innovation by promoting technology transfer and climate-smart practices.
- Removing non-tariff barriers by harmonizing sanitary regulations and aligning international standards for smoother regional trade.
Unlocking Financing
A major thrust of the Minister’s message was the call for global financial reform, aimed at unlocking concessional financing for African farmers and agribusinesses. “We need to rethink the global financial architecture to catalyze investment in agriculture — the foundation of many African economies,” he said.
African Voice in Global Policy
Minister Steenhuisen also emphasized the importance of ensuring that African nations have a strong voice in shaping global narratives on food policy, sustainability, and trade.
He concluded by calling on private and public sectors — including logistics, retail, and finance — to collaborate in building resilient agricultural value chains. “Africa has the capacity to feed itself and the world — but only if we act together, and on equitable terms.”
The remarks have already sparked interest among regional stakeholders and international partners ahead of a series of G20-related agriculture summits later this year.
