Africa is rising: Is Agriculture rising?

This paper highlights the narrative of Africa rising. It indicates that indeed Africa as well as Agriculture are rising. Since 2000, Sub-Saharan Gross Domestic Product has been growing at an average rate of 5% per annum. Agriculture has been growing at an average rate of 3.5% p.a, well above the 2.7% population growth. Evidence shows that this Economic and Agricultural growth have lead to improvements in the lives of the African people. Real income per person has increased by more than 30% since 2000, and the poverty rate has declined from 57% in 1990 to 43% in 2012. SSA’s rapid growth over the past decade and a half has been driven by high global commodity prices, increased foreign direct investments, improved economic governance, and growing domestic demand due to increasing population, spiraling urbanization, expanding labour force and rising middle class. The interesting question is how the Africa rising narrative can be sustained into the future. The paper indicates that the answer lies in the Economic and Agricultural transformation of Africa. The Africa Progress Report (2014) describes a strategy for Economic transformation, while the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) provides a policy framework for agricultural transformation. The paper highlights three examples of frameworks from the author’s point of view on how Africa could create such Economic and Agricultural transformation. The first is based on the author’s published Mukhebi Theory of Economic Development (MUTED), which provides the case for public goods that will provide the necessary physical and soft infrastructure (national and continental nervous system) for significantly enhanced intra Africa commerce and trade. The second is based on the author’s published book My 50 Dreams, which provides an inexhaustible reservoir of knowledge for necessary technological development and innovation. The third is based on the author’s project involvement is the Africa Centers of Excellence II (ACE II) Project initiated and supported by the World Bank, which provides a framework for universities in Africa to develop necessary high level human capital with mobility across the continent. The paper concludes that Africa and its Agriculture are indeed rising despite the challenges. Economic and Agricultural transformation is needed to sustain the narrative of Africa rising. MUTED, Dreams and the ACE Project are examples of frameworks of how Africa could sustain and enhance the narrative.