On November 20, 2025, at a special session of the International Conference on African Countries Food Sovereignty Ensuring in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, a presentation of the report on food sovereignty, «Food for Africa: On the Way to Food Sovereignty», was held.
The English report was prepared within the e-Governance Knowledge Sharing Program implemented by the HSE Centre for African Studies and supported by the Government of the Russian Federation and «Innopraktika» company.
Among the participants of the session were authors of the report, as well as reviewers of the publication and members of Russian (Rossotrudnichestvo) and international organizations (the UN Economic Commission for Africa, Eastern Africa Grain Council). They provided expert assessments of the publication, emphasizing its role in further research and strengthening Russian-African cooperation in agriculture. Participants also discussed ways for African countries to achieve food sovereignty, the role of fertilizer production, and national development strategies.
The presentation was moderated by Vsevolod Sviridov, Deputy Director of the HSE Centre for African Studies and one of the report’s authors. He discussed the concept of food sovereignty and the balanced approach that the authors adhered to while preparing the report.
Yevgeny Primakov:
«This report is the result of many years of inspiring work by experts of the HSE Centre for African Studies. It reflects Russia’s perspective on the food situation in African countries. The report certainly demonstrates Russia’s willingness to share its experience in developing agriculture and reducing dependence on imports».
Yevgeny Primakov (leftmost in the photo below), head of Rossotrudnichestvo, delivered the opening speech. He distinguished between the terms «food security» and «food sovereignty», emphasizing the former’s connection to food production and delivery, while food sovereignty encompasses a broader spectrum, including the work of NGOs and the development of logistics and technologies.
Andrey Maslov:
«The report provides a comprehensive overview of Africa’s food development. Importantly, to ensure long-term food security, we need to increase investment, create a regulatory framework and a favorable business climate for food production, and consider the impact of climate change. We’ve covered all these aspects in our report».
Andrey Maslov, Director of the HSE Centre for African Studies and the report’s editor-in-chief, noted that «food sovereignty is a broader understanding of the concept of food security, encompassing not only countries’ self-sufficiency in food but also a strategy, regulatory framework, and the instruments of control».
He also emphasized that, unlike foreign grain exporters, Russian agricultural producers «don’t really advertise the aid they provide to Africa. Unlike for us, Western countries count the aid they provide to Africa and present it as a direct aid to African nations».
Gerald Makau Masila:
«I would say that one of the most important messages that the report provides to us is that we need to understand that imports has serious consequences for the society that we have to deal with».
Gerald Makau Masila, Executive Director, Eastern Africa Grain Council, discussed the impact of grain imports on achieving food sovereignty in Africa.
«African countries have their large grain producers that apply the economy of scale and being highly subsidized via some state agricultural programs. But in a reality, it turns out that the large grain import is much cheaper. The countries are usually lack of incentive and motivation to advance their local production and improve their productivity, bringing this gap. That’s how the countries are degrading in building their food sovereignty».
«To advance food sovereignty, it is important to invest in the development of local production systems and encourage the consumption of local products. All these measures must be taken collectively, at the national level», – the speaker shared his ideas.
Kehali Jembere Tiruneh:
«One of the central themes of the report is the potential of African countries to produce mineral fertilizers, which serve as an effective tool for achieving food sovereignty».
Kehali Jembere Tiruneh (in the middle), Dean of the College of Agriculture & Environmental Science, University of Gondar, Ethiopia, spoke about fertilizer production (primarily mineral) in African countries and its role in increasing crop yields and reducing dependence on imports.
He also shared Ethiopia’s successful experience with fertilizer use: «This year, Ethiopia launched a large-scale fertilizer production project, capable of producing up to three million tons of fertilizer per year. This measure is expected to make a significant contribution to achieving food sovereignty».
Adeyemi Adewoye:
«Based on my personal experience, I can say that Russian companies are actively entering African markets to help them achieve food sovereignty. They are striving for sustainable development, and this report once again confirms the prospects for Russian-African relations»
Adeyemi Adewoye, Senior Special Assistant to the Hon. Minister of Agriculture and Food Security of Nigeria, noted the importance of land resources in achieving food sovereignty and the challenges farmers face due to limited access to land.
«Nigeria has a special land law regulating its use, and there is also state support for agricultural cooperatives, which provide farmers with security guarantees», – the speaker shared Nigeria’s experience.
«Governments play a key role in achieving food sovereignty, as does state support for agricultural cooperatives», – Adeyemi Adewoye concluded.
Medhat El-Helepi:
«I believe this report is a significant contribution to our understanding of food sovereignty and serves as a good foundation for the preparation of its next edition».
Concluding the event, Medhat El-Helepi, Head of the Land and Agricultural Transformation Section (LATS) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), discussed the role of continental strategies in ensuring food sovereignty. He highlighted two key mechanisms aimed at implementing Agenda 2063 and serving as a guide for agricultural development in African countries.
«The strategies also outline goals to be achieved. The first goal is to allocate private and public investment to agriculture. The second goal is to allocate at least 15% to agriculture. Finally, at least 10% of public expenditure should be allocated to agricultural development», – he noted.
