Policy Innovations to Advance Africa's Food Processing Sector

1 November 2024. Africa balances policy needs with food processing growth

Opportunities ramp up in the continent’s food processing industry, yet a lack of policy progression threatens to stall progress.

Local entrepreneurs are increasingly entering value-added processing, creating products that cater to both local tastes and international markets. There has also been a notable rise in innovative products using local foods, appealing to niche markets and shifting Africa from a raw commodity net exporter to a value-added foods producer.

“This progress positions African food processors as key players in driving both economic growth and food security across the continent,” Vivian Maduekeh, programme director, Partners in Food Solutions. For the past 16 years, Partners in Food Solutions (PFS) has been working with over 2,000 food processors in over 12 countries.

This article refers to the 

Malabo Montpellier Panel  (2024) VALUE-UP: Policy Innovations to Advance Africa's Food Processing Sector for Growth, Jobs, and Health. # 92 pp.

The increased demand for processed foods provides an opportunity for Africa's food processing sector to
grow and contribute to economic growth; however, the continent remains a net and growing importer of processed foods. Africa now has an opportunity to benefit from its growing urban markets and accelerate its transition from primarily producing and exporting raw agricultural commodities by increasing production in its growing food processing sector, The Malabo Montpellier Panel report finds.

• In the face of demographic shifts and evolving food preferences, Africa stands at a pivotal moment in its agricultural and economic evolution. The past few decades have seen remarkable strides in agricultural productivity across the continent and food systems transformation. Traditional home based and local food processing has declined and opportunities of expansion of food processing industries are growing in the continent. 
• The dynamic interplay between population growth, rapid urbanization, rising incomes, women’s roles in the labor markets, as well as changes in dietary patterns presents both a challenge and unique opportunity for Africa. 
• The dietary shift among urban and rural populations towards processed foods, uniquely positions the continent to leverage these trends for economic development but also include challenges for nutrition quality. The expansion of Africa’s food processing sector offers a strategic path to reduce dependency on imported processed food products and enhance the region’s food system development. 
• This report by the — VALUE-UP: Policy innovations to advance Africa’s food processing sector for growth, jobs, and health— reviews the current situation in Africa and draws lessons from African countries: Ghana, Kenya and Senegal. It focuses on their policy and institutional innovations, as well as programmatic interventions to transform food systems and enhance economic development. The report delves into the various opportunities and challenges faced by food processors in Africa and provided valuable insights and actionable recommendations for stakeholders committed to advancing the continent’s food processing industry.

Resources

• KENYA CASE STUDY VALUE-UP: Policy Innovations to Advance Africa's Food Processing Sector for Growth, Jobs, and Health
• GHANA CASE STUDY VALUE-UP: Policy Innovations to Advance Africa's Food Processing Sector for Growth, Jobs, and Health
• SENEGAL CASE STUDY VALUE-UP: Policy Innovations to Advance Africa's Food Processing Sector for Growth, Jobs, and Health
• VALUE-UP: Policy Innovations to Advance Africa's Food Processing Sector for Growth, Jobs, and Health
• EXECUTIVE SUMMARY – VALUE-UP: Policy Innovations to Advance Africa's Food Processing Sector for Growth, Jobs, and Health
• Presentation: VALUE-UP: Policy innovations to advance Africa’s food processing sector for growth, jobs, and health

Presentation Streamed live on 27 Aug 2024

Related: 

FAO and WHO (2024) What are healthy diets? 12 pp.

Healthy diets promote health, growth and development, support active lifestyles, prevent nutrient deficiencies and excesses, communicable and noncommunicable diseases, foodborne diseases and promote wellbeing. The exact make-up of a diet will vary depending on individual characteristics, preferences and beliefs, cultural context, locally available foods and dietary customs. However, the basic principles of what constitutes healthy diets remain the same. 

In this document the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have formulated principles of what constitute healthy diets, underpinned by guidelines and other normative elements developed by the two Organizations. The principles provide the basis for the design of policies aimed at improving diet and for the assessment of the healthiness of diets.