By Prashirwin Naidu
At a time when food security, climate resilience, and economic growth intersect like never before, the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS), together with DHL Express Sub-Saharan Africa, convened a critical dialogue on the future of agriculture in Africa. Held under the theme “Build, Connect and Thrive,” the event brought together agri-preneurs, logisticians, innovators, and policymakers to ask and begin answering some of the most pressing questions in the agri-sector.
Francois Fouche, global trade expert and panel moderator from GIBS, set the tone with a challenge and a vision: “We have the land, the climate, the people, and now, increasingly, the technology. The question is — how do we connect it all so Africa can not only feed itself but feed the world?”
While Africa holds 60% of the world’s uncultivated arable land, less than 6% is
irrigated. This gap between potential and productivity underscores the continent’s
fragmented infrastructure, underdeveloped value chains, and critical need for
better alignment across all layers of the agri-ecosystem.
Hennie Heymans, CEO of DHL Express Sub-Saharan Africa, offered a frank yet
optimistic view from the logistics sector: “We’re not farmers. However, we excel at moving things — and that’s what Africa needs. Logistics is no longer a cost centre; it’s a growth enabler.”
From extending avocado shelf life by 12 days without refrigeration to enabling access to the cold chain in Kenya and Uganda, DHL is increasingly integrated into Africa’s agricultural value chain. However, Heymans cautioned that siloed policies and poor transport corridors are significant hurdles to growth. He referenced a recent roundtable in Nigeria where local farmers voiced frustration at being “too disconnected from the markets that matter.” Still, he believes Africa’s agri-future is bright if it is powered by cross-border collaboration, policy harmonisation, and shared infrastructure development.
Buyambo Mantashe, managing director of Siphamba Agri Group, brought the voice of the soil. Representing a co-operative of over 600 farmers, Mantashe grounded the discussion with plain truths: “We must stop having boardroom conversations that don’t reach the ground. Farmers are not hearing what’s said in these rooms.”
He called for deeper, ego-free collaboration and co-creation, warning that well-written policies are meaningless without effective execution. Since 1994, South Africa has experienced a significant decline in the number of government extension officers and the dismantling of marketing boards, resulting in a vacuum of technical support. Mantashe pointedly noted: “Redistribution is just the start. Land alone means nothing without access to markets, infrastructure, and finance. If we don’t support them after handover, we’re setting people up to fail.”
Entrepreneur, commercial farmer, and podcaster Mbali Nwoko brought both
realism and urgency to the stage: “Being a farmer is hard. Being a young farmer is harder. Being a young woman farmer? Don’t even get me started.” Nwoko deconstructed the romanticism around farming and made a powerful call for agriculture to be treated like the business it is: “It’s about data, capital, logistics, and market access. And most importantly, consistency. We need to stop acting like agriculture is charity.”
Her remarks on agritech adoption were particularly sobering: tools like sensors, apps, and drones often fail to solve real-world problems on the ground. She urged agri-tech developers to speak to farmers first, test in local conditions, and adapt to the regional context: “A combined harvester that works in the Eastern Cape may be useless in the DRC. Innovation without localisation is just expensive clutter.”
The panel agreed: Africa doesn’t lack innovation, but it does lack implementation
on a large scale. Mbali urged leaders and multinationals to engage beyond shiny
prototypes and serve those who feed the continent: “Whether it’s a commercial farmer or a township hawker, we need solutions that work at every level.”
Heymans added that the private sector, such as DHL, must lead from the front,
not just through innovation, but also by creating enabling environments and
advocating for change. Drawing inspiration from Discovery’s health rewards
model, one panellist joked: “They don’t make us wear smartwatches because they care — it’s because it’s better for everyone if we stay alive.”
The agricultural corollary? If big players enable smarter, more productive farming,
everyone benefits. Post-1994, the disappearance of seasoned extension officers and marketing boards left smallholder farmers without vital knowledge. Today, the government’s farmer-to-officer ratio is 1:1500, meaning only 6% of farmers receive support annually. In contrast, commercial farmers benefit from access to private agronomists and tailored intel at ratios of 1:20 or 1:40.
Mbali summed it up powerfully: “You can’t assume what farmers need. You need to ask them. Test. Learn. And be ready to adapt.” Francois Fouche closed the session with a systems-thinking appeal, “If we want Africa to feed the world, we must first feed the ecosystem that feeds Africa.”
The path forward isn’t paved with one-off pilot projects. It’s about scalable, integrated solutions. The panel agreed that actual change must be driven by communities, backed by policy, supported by business, and informed by data.
What emerged from the discussion was not just a roadmap, but a rallying cry for action. Agriculture in Africa is not broken. It is underserved, underconnected, and
undervalued. But across the continent, innovation is taking root, from township hawkers to commercial farms.
The challenge now is to water it with policy, partnership, logistics, and collaboration. Africa doesn’t just have the potential to feed itself; it has the power to feed the world.
