Russia's war shows Africa needs food independence, AfDB chief says

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine shows that Africa must move away from its dependence on food imports, as recent experience with COVID-19 vaccine deficiencies has demonstrated that the continent cannot rely on the rest of the world during a crisis, the head of the African Development Bank said. “The thing about Russia’s war in Ukraine is the ramification that it has,” Akinwumi Adesina told Devex. “And the ramifications are going to be quite huge for Africa.” The continent depends on both countries for some 90% of its cereal, with prices spiking 45% across Africa, Adesina said. More than 2 million metric tons of fertilizers also come from the Black Sea region. Prices for fertilizers have doubled over the past year, and there are signs of shortages on the continent, AfDB officials said this week during the World Bank’s Spring Meetings. The lack of fertilizer will put downward pressure on agricultural yields in Africa. “You are looking at losing food valued at $10 billion,” Adesina said. Rising food prices helped kick off the Arab Spring in Tunisia in 2010, Adesina said, echoing concerns in Washington during the Spring Meetings that unrest is just around the corner. “We are looking at a looming food crisis that, if we don’t quickly deal with, could morph into social, political, and economic fragility all across African countries,” he said. “Hungry people are angry people.” Adesina said he would convene a meeting of governments and the private sector on May 12 to discuss the food crisis. In the meantime, AfDB is supporting agriculture projects with an eye to combining climate change objectives with the Ukraine war response by supporting climate-resilient technologies for farmers. “This is a real opportunity for Africa to decouple itself from being a food import-dependent region,” he said, noting the failed promises on ensuring sufficient vaccine supply to the continent during the COVID-19 pandemic. He listed existing AfDB programs in Sudan and elsewhere, including heat-tolerant wheat and water-efficient maize production. “The technologies, we have. The platforms to deliver them, we have.” But Adesina quickly circled back to the challenge: fertilizers. Globally, Russia and Belarus — both sanctioned now by the West — are the second- and third-leading producers of potash, which is used for fertilizers. “There is a limited supply. If we don’t move quickly, Africa will be left behind. And we can’t let that happen again,” Adesina said. “We need fertilizers for May and June, so we have to move fast.”