G20: Africa’s growth key to global stability, prosperity – FG

The federal government has called for stronger international cooperation to advance Africa’s industrialisation and agricultural transformation, declaring that the continent’s development constitutes a global public good deserving of collective investment, partnership, and political will.

This declaration was made at the G20 Africa Outreach Meeting on Industrialisation and Agriculture, held on Monday in Abuja.

The dialogue, themed “Solidarity, Equality, and Sustainability,” brought together African ministers, diplomats, and development partners to explore strategies that connect agriculture, industry, and trade for inclusive economic growth across the continent.

Speaking at the event, Ben Joubert, Co-Chair of the G20 Africa 2025 Presidency and Acting Director for Regional Organizations at South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation, described Africa’s transformation as a “global imperative” critical to achieving climate resilience, food security, and shared prosperity.

He noted that despite years of commitment, the continent’s structural transformation continues to be hindered by underfunding, fragmented markets, and limited access to long-term financing.

Joubert, however, said the present moment offers a renewed opportunity to reposition Africa’s development agenda in global consciousness, emphasising that the continent’s growth is not only vital to its people but also to global stability and sustainable progress.

He underscored the need for agriculture and industrialisation to evolve in tandem to build stronger food systems, deepen value addition, and create new opportunities for trade and employment.

“Africa’s development is a global public good. Through the G20 platform, we can mobilise partnerships, resources, and technology grounded in mutual respect and shared interest to help Africa realise its ambitions”, Joubert said.

According to him, the outcomes of the Abuja dialogue will be presented to the G20 collective during the upcoming summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, later this month.

Nigeria’s delegation was led by Abubakar Kyari, minister of Agriculture and Food Security, and John Enoh, minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment.

They highlighted ongoing reforms and investments aimed at positioning Nigeria as the continent’s agro-industrial hub.

Kyari spoke on Nigeria’s efforts to link agricultural productivity with food systems and processing industries, stressing the centrality of agriculture to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

Enoh, in his intervention, described agro-industrial transformation as an imperative for Africa’s future, not an option.

He said agriculture in Africa represents livelihood, dignity, and survival, while industry stands for value, jobs, and sovereignty.

According to him, the continent’s future lies in the deliberate fusion of agriculture and industry.

He lamented that despite Africa holding 60 percent of the world’s uncultivated arable land and hosting over 1.4 billion people within the African Continental Free Trade Area, the continent contributes less than 3 percent to global trade and just 1.5 percent to global manufacturing output.

“For decades, Africa exported cocoa but imported chocolate; grew cotton but imported garments; mined minerals but imported machinery.

“To reverse this trend, agro-industrialization must bridge the gap between subsistence and structural transformation”, Enoh said.

Enoh explained that Nigeria’s Renewed Hope Economic Agenda is anchored on enhancing farm productivity through technology and access to inputs, expanding Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones to convert raw produce into finished goods, promoting local content and industrial linkages through the Pro-Nigerian Policy, and improving infrastructure, finance, and inclusion to enhance competitiveness and regional trade.

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He cited ongoing developments in the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones in Oyo and Ogun States, supported by the African Development Bank (AfDB), Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), as tangible examples of Nigeria’s industrial policy in action.

“We are turning cassava into starch and ethanol, rice into branded products, and tomatoes into paste and concentrates.

“Our backward integration policy is creating local value chains in cotton, cocoa, palm oil, and livestock”, Enoh said.

The minister also called on the G20 to strengthen its partnership with Africa in three key areas: finance, technology, and trade governance.

He stressed the importance of expanding blended finance and guarantees for cross-border infrastructure, scaling up mechanization and digital agriculture, and reforming global trade rules to protect developing economies while promoting intra-African commerce.

“Treaties don’t trade people and companies do. Borders must become bridges, not barriers. A tomato processed in Kano should reach Accra without harassment or multiple duties”, Enoh noted.