AfDB Approves $1.5bn Emergency Food Facility

The African Development Bank on Friday approved a $1.5 billion emergency food production facility for 20 million farmers on the continent to avert a looming food crisis brought on by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a statement from the bank said.

With the disruption of food supplies arising from the Russia-Ukraine war, Africa now faces a shortage of at least 30 million metric tons of food, especially wheat, maize, and soybeans imported from both countries.

African farmers urgently need high-quality seeds and inputs before the planting season begins in May to immediately boost food supplies.

The African Development Bank’s $1.5 billion African Emergency Food Production Facility is an unprecedented comprehensive initiative to support smallholder farmers in filling the food shortfall.

The African Emergency Food Production Facility will provide 20 million African smallholder farmers with certified seeds. It will increase access to agricultural fertilisers and enable them to rapidly-produce 38 million tons of food.

This would be a $12 billion increase in food production in just two years. African Development Bank Group President Dr Akinwumi Adesina said “Food aid cannot feed Africa. Africa does not need bowls in hand. Africa needs seeds in the ground, and mechanical harvesters to harvest bountiful food produced locally. Africa will feed itself with pride for there is no dignity in begging for food…”

The African Emergency Food Production Facility has benefited from stakeholder consultations, including those with fertiliser producers and separately with African Union agriculture and finance ministers earlier this month.

The ministers agreed to implement reforms to address the systemic hurdles that prevent modern input markets from performing effectively.

The price of wheat has soared in Africa by over 45 per cent since the war in Ukraine began. Fertilizer prices have gone up by 300 per cent, and the continent faces a fertilizer shortage of 2 million metric tons.