Tinubu Tasks African Leaders to Invest in Research, Innovation to End Food Insecurity, Drive Agricultural Transformation

• Report: Africa’s $122.9bn food import bill exposes failure of agricultural transformation as 845 million Africans remain food insecure

• Debisi Araba: waste-to-wealth innovation can add $211bn annually to Africa’s GDP

• Insists transforming agriculture offers Africa biggest opportunity to simultaneously reduce poverty, create employment, improve food security

• Says 41 of 46 African countries spend below African Union’s 1% benchmark of agricultural GDP on research and development

James Emejo and Deborah Adekoya in Abuja