AUC Deputy Chairperson Calls for Bold, Coordinated Push to Scale Digital Agriculture Across Africa
Addis Ababa, December 1, 2025 (FMC) — African Union Commission (AUC) Deputy Chairperson Selma Malika Haddadi today urged African governments, development partners, and the private sector to take decisive, coordinated action to accelerate digital transformation in agriculture, describing it as essential for the continent’s prosperity, resilience, and food security.
Speaking at the opening of the Inaugural African Union Conference on Digital Agriculture in Addis Ababa, Haddadi said the continent can no longer rely on traditional farming systems in the face of climate shocks, degraded soil and water resources, limited access to finance, persistent post-harvest losses and the declining involvement of youth and women in agriculture.
“Agriculture is the lifeblood of our continent,” she said, noting that the sector sustains more than 60 percent of Africa’s population and remains central to national economies. “Digital agriculture offers a transformative pathway. It is no longer a choice — it is a necessity for Africa’s survival and prosperity.”
Haddadi described digital tools as critical accelerators for building resilient and inclusive food systems, citing applications such as satellite-based monitoring, precision farming, climate-smart technologies, digital extension platforms, and mobile financial solutions. Such innovations, she said, can raise productivity, expand access to markets, strengthen adaptation to climate change, and open new economic opportunities for farmers, especially youth and women.
She highlighted the African Union’s Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa (2020–2030) as the continental blueprint guiding efforts to expand connectivity, strengthen data governance, foster innovation ecosystems, and build inclusive digital economies. Agriculture, she emphasized, is a priority sector under this strategy because of its potential to benefit rapidly and extensively from digital integration.
Haddadi also referenced the Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa (STISA-2024), which identifies agriculture as a core area for technology-led change. She said the AU is working to support member states with enabling policies, digital skills training, improved broadband infrastructure, investment in digital public goods, and harmonized standards that will allow countries to build interoperable digital agriculture markets.
The Deputy Chairperson stressed that the transformation cannot be achieved by governments alone. She called for deeper collaboration with research institutions, development partners, agribusiness actors, innovators, and farmer organizations to scale home-grown solutions and ensure digital agriculture becomes accessible and practical for communities across the continent.
As she officially opened the conference, Haddadi urged delegates to commit to actionable outcomes: “Let us ensure that digital agriculture becomes a lived reality for farmers, agribusinesses, and communities across Africa.”
The three-day conference, held under the theme “Shaping Agricultural Policy for Africa’s Future: Digital Innovations, Climate-Smart Practices for Agri-Food System Transformation,” continues through December 3 at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa.