The Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF) 2025 opened in Dakar with a fiery sense of purpose, as Managing Director Amath Pathé Sène delivered a rousing welcome that went far beyond ceremony. His message was unflinching: this is not just another forum — it is a rallying point for a continent ready to claim its place at the forefront of a global agricultural transformation.
Speaking to a packed auditorium, Sène set the tone with urgency and conviction, aligning with this year’s theme: “Africa’s Youth: Leading Collaboration, Innovation, and the Implementation of Agri-Food Systems Transformation.” He hailed Senegal as the “Land of Teranga,” symbolizing the hospitality, resilience, and strength of a nation — and a continent — poised to lead.
With over 60% of the world’s uncultivated arable land, Africa, he declared, holds the key to its own food future and to global food security. Yet this potential remains dangerously underutilized. Sène insisted that the real engine of transformation is already here: Africa’s youth, a generation no longer waiting to be invited to the table, but actively building the future of food with their hands, their ideas, and their innovation.
Addressing delegates from 97 countries and in the presence of Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye, Sène called for bold partnerships, urgent investments, and disruptive innovation. He warned that while the world applauds Africa’s potential, applause alone will not feed the continent. What is needed is the courage to invest, the vision to collaborate, and the discipline to implement.
“This forum must not end as a talking shop,” he pressed. “It must be the place where commitments turn into contracts, where ideas are funded, and where youth-led solutions are scaled.” His challenge was directed at governments, the private sector, and development partners alike: to step up, align resources with ambition, and create the enabling environment that Africa’s young farmers and agri-preneurs need to thrive.
Sène’s speech was both a celebration and a charge. He invited participants to immerse themselves in Senegal’s culture of community and resilience, but also reminded them that culture without commitment achieves little. The continent’s vast resources, he argued, must be matched by equally vast determination to act.
In his closing words, he underscored the forum’s mission: to turn Africa’s untapped potential into tangible progress. The challenges are many, but the resilience of Africa’s people is greater still. His address was not just a welcome; it was a battle cry.
The message from Dakar is unmistakable: Africa’s moment has arrived, and its youth are not just ready to lead — they are already leading. It is time for leaders, investors, and partners to match that energy with real action.
