Guest Column by Dr. Lawrence Haddad (GAIN) and Ms. Estherine Fotabong (AUDA-NEPAD)

Transforming agrifood systems lies at the heart of the revamped Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), which aspires to build resilient, sustainable food systems across the continent. Every decision—what food is produced, when, how, by whom, and how it is processed, transported, marketed, and consumed—has profound implications: impacting nutrition security, employment, climate resilience, environmental sustainability, and social wellbeing.

The Kampala Declaration ushers in CAADP’s new Strategy and Action Plan with a bold emphasis on acceleration. As Dr. Ibrahim Mayaki, the AU’s Special Envoy for Food Systems, cautions, change must gather speed—current progress is far too slow. FAO’s Food Systems Countdown Report indicates that just 20 of the 42 global food system indicators are trending positively, and none rapidly enough to meet the SDGs.

Yet accelerating transformation is no easy feat. Agrifood systems are complex ecosystems shaped by diverse actors, policies, budgets, and incentives that rarely align on their own. Rather than likening these systems to machines demanding horsepower, we prefer the metaphor of a tapestry—woven together by farmers, processors, traders, civil society, and governments. Where threads fray or tangle, the fabric weakens. When aligned, they form a strong, adaptive, and vibrant weave. For Africa, the stakes are immense: livelihoods hinge on agriculture, and diets directly influence health, productivity, and prosperity—in rural villages and urban centers alike.

The challenge before us is to strengthen this weave.

To support decision-makers across Africa, we’ve curated a suite of practical tools developed through multi-institutional collaborations across eight African nations over the past eight years. These tools, shaped by hundreds of experts (many from the

continent), are designed to foster strategic, evidence-based action. We invite African leaders—from policy, business, and civil society—to explore, adapt, and deploy them.

Here’s a brief overview:

• Food System Dashboards: Integrate diverse datasets to assess vulnerabilities and opportunities—guiding targeted resource allocation.
• Policy Coherence Tool: Highlights alignment—or lack thereof—between sectoral policies supporting key food system goals.
• Political Economy Assessment Tool: Illuminates windows of political opportunity to drive real-world interventions.
• 3FS Tool: Maps public and donor budgets to evaluate how financial flows align with stated priorities.
• Diet Quality Questionnaire: A rapid survey to gauge population-level dietary health—offering real-time insights well before hunger statistics emerge.
• I-CAN (Climate Action and Nutrition Initiative): Supports stakeholders in co-delivering nutrition and climate objectives, born at COP27.
• Food System Countdown Initiative: Tracks transformation metrics, enabling accountability and continuous improvement.

Together with our partners, we are committed to rising to Dr. Mayaki’s call for urgency. Change may be hard—but the opportunity is extraordinary. These tools enable leaders to diagnose, prioritize, and design bankable, impactful food system solutions. They help weave the inclusive and resilient fabric our continent needs.

In these volatile times—amid shifting trade dynamics, fragile aid flows, and rising debt—we must remain steadfast and accelerate agrifood system reform. UNFSS+4 offers atimely moment to renew momentum, stitch stronger threads, and unlock Africa’s vast potential to nourish its people today and for generations to come.