Africa’s food and water security, along with resilient local value chains – water, agriculture, processing – are no longer just development topics, they have become national and geopolitical priorities across governments and investors, said Business Sweden strategy and business development Middle East and Africa project manager Kudakwashe Koke.
Speaking at a high-level Thought Leadership Forum hosted by Alfa Laval, in partnership with Business Sweden, he said that the continent’s global dependency created vulnerability, as Africa imported large volumes of staple foods, such as wheat, rice and maize, and was experienced global shocks, including wars, which disrupted fertiliser, grain and logistics flows.
The forum, which convened Swedish and South African government representatives, industry leaders and technical experts, explored how Africa stands at a pivotal moment where food security, pharmaceutical self-sufficiency and water resilience have become urgent priorities shaping the continent’s industrial future.
Conflict is a primary driver of food security, with 167-million people – 78% in conflict-affected countries – having faced acute food insecurity in 2025.
Further, climate and water stress exacerbate the situation, with agricultural productivity reducing 34% since 1961 owing to climate change, and extreme weather, droughts and floods increasingly disrupting food systems and water availability.
