Symposium at the 7th African Conference of Agricultural Economists, 18-21 September 2023, Durban

Well-functioning markets will be key to strengthening the resilience of agri-food systems in Africa. To this end, policies and investments are needed at all levels to facilitate market participation and  transactions and thereby generate income and improve food and nutrition security. At the pan-African level, the recently launched African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) will facilitate the flow of goods across borders through the reduction of tariff and non-tariff barriers. Implementation of the agreement will require national policies, regulations and investments, for instance, to harmonize standards and streamline border procedures. Within countries, infrastructure investments are needed to facilitate the storage, transport and sale of agrifood products to serve local, African and international markets. Such measures would not only reduce transaction costs and open up new markets for local suppliers, but also improve access to affordable and nutritious food for African consumers. Support activities also need to be targeted at local producers and agroprocessing companies to strengthen their capacity to produce high-quality goods and trade them within and beyond the country.

This session will take a holistic view of market integration in Africa to discuss what measures are needed to enable African small-scale producers and business to better integrate into local, regional and international agrifood markets and thereby increase their resilience and improve food security on the continent.

Research presentations

• Mahamadou Tankari, AKADEMIYA2063 (on trade facilitation, incl. infrastructure and removal of non-tariff barriers, with focus on AfCFTA)
• Oluwole Fatunbi, FARA (on smallholder access to markets)

Panel discussion

Chair: Oliver Kirui, IFPRI

Panellists:

• Alpha Kergna, IER, Mali
• Wellington Mulinge, KALRO, Kenya
• Heike Baumüller, ZEF, Germany
• Scolastica Wambua, KALRO, Kenya