Tanzania Marks Record Food Security Achievement

 Crops | Manpower / Capacity Building | Policy and Legislation
 November 5, 2024

By Abdi Ali
Published November 5, 2024

President Hassan said Tanzania left Dakar 2 summit with a signed compact and determination to implement increasing productivity as well as the political will to create institutions and support structures for its farmers. Tanzania is setting new benchmarks in food self-sufficiency across Africa, raising hope that the fight against hunger and malnutrition on the continent is achievable.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania said her country had reached 128 percent food security and is now exporting surplus to neighbouring countries.

She was speaking on October 31 during a high-level session at the World Food Prize Norman E Borlaug International Dialogue in Iowa, moderated by Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank. The session, entitled “Bold Measures to Feed Africa,” also featured the President of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio.

After achieving food sufficiency, Hassan told a packed auditorium, “we are now working on quality, accessibility and affordability, and how to minimize post-harvest loses.”

Adesina praised Hassan’s leadership and strong political will for Tanzania’s success. He said the growing commitment of other African nations, underscores the continent’s readiness for large-scale investment in agriculture and food production.

He recalled how the African Development Bank’s 2023 Dakar 2 Food Summit ignited commitment across Africa for country-specific food and agriculture compacts. The summit, co-hosted by the government of Senegal and the African Union, was attended by 34 African Heads of State and Government. It has mobilized more than US$72 billion to date.

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Akinwumi Adesina recalled how the African Development Bank's 2023 Dakar 2 Food Summit ignited commitment across Africa for country-specific food and agriculture compacts. The summit, co-hosted by the government of Senegal and the African Union, was attended by 34 African Heads of State and Government. It has mobilized more than $72 billion to date. President Hassan said Tanzania left Dakar 2 summit with a signed compact and determination to implement increasing productivity as well as the political will to create institutions and support structures for its farmers.

“We realized that not investing in agriculture is much more costly than investing in the sector,” she said.

Tanzania has broken another record by becoming a processor and net exporter of cashew nuts, which for nearly all African countries, are processed in Asia. The country has also succeeded in rural electrification with nearly 100 percent of its 12,300 villages with electricity, Hassan said.

Backed by investment from the African Development Bank, Tanzania’s Creating jobs for Youth and Women programme is targeting the country’s 65% youth population with training in farming, agriculture, livestock and crop farming.

The Tanzanian leader said every youth in the programme is given 10 acres of land and is supported by training and that 11000 have already benefitted and this year’s harvest has begun.

The 2024 Norman E Borlaug Dialogue gathers experts worldwide to inspire innovative solutions to global hunger. This year’s theme, “Seeds of Opportunity, Bridging Generations and Cultivating Diplomacy,” champions collaboration, legacy, and hope in the fight for food security.