ASA 2026 gathers global team to boost Africa's food power

Africa is working hard to change from a country that imports most of its food to a major player in agriculture. This September, the Agriculture Summit Africa (ASA) is back for its ninth edition. Under the theme "Building the Next Superpower: Africa’s Food Power Play," the summit will take place in Abuja on 15 and 16 September 2026. Sterling Bank is hosting the event, which was announced at an important press conference in Lagos. Leaders from the bank joined government officials, development partners, and agribusiness leaders to discuss the future of food in Africa.

The summit comes at a time when African agriculture faces a strange situation. The continent has plenty of good land, workers, and the need for food, but it still relies on imports to feed itself. The growing population and changing climate add to the pressure. Meanwhile, the money, infrastructure, and markets needed to make farming a strong food economy are slow to develop. Farmers are left with the potential to grow food, but many times they do not make good money from it, and their harvests do not reach the market at the right value. ASA 2026 aims to address this problem.

Dele Faseemo, who is the Group Executive for Corporate and Investment Banking at Sterling Bank, said agriculture is vital to the bank’s HEART strategy, which includes Health, Education, Agriculture, Renewable Energy, and Transportation. He pointed out that in 2025, Sterling Bank’s investment in these areas grew by 39 percent to ₦331.7 billion, with agriculture seeing one of the biggest increases.

"When Sterling talks about agriculture, we are speaking as a bank that puts its balance sheet where its convictions are; behind the farmers, processors, off-takers and agribusinesses doing the hard, unglamorous work of turning Nigeria’s land into livelihoods," Faseemo said, highlighting the bank's commitment.

Dr Olushola Obikanye, Group Head of Agric Finance and Solid Minerals at Sterling Bank, emphasized the economic chance in Africa's food story. He mentioned that Africa has about 60 percent of the world’s uncultivated arable land, but spends billions of dollars each year on food imports.

"Food is jobs. Food is trade. Food is foreign exchange, industrial policy, climate resilience, and increasingly, geopolitical power. Hence, the continent that feeds itself and competes globally will hold real strategic weight. That is Africa’s food power play," he said.

Focusing on Nigeria, the speakers recognized the many challenges farmers face. These include finance, quality inputs, machinery, storage, logistics, and access to markets, along with high post-harvest losses. They welcomed the Federal Government’s focus on food security, pointing to the National Agricultural Mechanisation Policy and a 10-year agrifood system strategy in line with the African Union’s Kampala Declaration. But they stressed that real change needs a team effort beyond just the government or any one group.

Christian Mulamula, Principal Country Officer for Nigeria at the International Finance Corporation, said Africa’s agricultural change must look beyond just increasing production. It should create an environment where farmers and agribusinesses can get the finance, technology, inputs, infrastructure, and markets they need to succeed.

"ASA is a platform for bringing together policymakers, investors, financial institutions, agribusinesses, technology providers, and development partners to speed up investment and strengthen Africa’s food systems. At the World Bank Group, we believe that pushing for sustainable development means that the public and private sectors must work together to turn development goals into investment opportunities, bringing in money to build stronger businesses and create jobs, better livelihoods, and more economic chances for people," he said.

With support from various groups, ASA 2026 will unite a wide range of development finance institutions, agri-technology providers, private sector leaders, and government agencies to work towards a common goal. Partners include the International Finance Corporation (IFC), IDH, Arila Group, Noor Takaful, Saroafrica International Limited, Propcom+, YAPU Solutions, GIZ, Sterling One Foundation, and many others. The summit shows a strong belief in Africa’s agricultural future.

ASA 2026 is set up as a platform for action, where ideas, capital, and partnerships come together. Policymakers will hear directly from those in the value chain, investors will meet real opportunities, and the story of African agriculture will shift from crisis to business and growth. The two-day event will include high-level discussions, deal-making opportunities, innovation showcases, and trade talks to ensure that talks lead to real results. Stakeholders, investors, and industry leaders are encouraged to register at www.agricsummit.org.