Ethiopia Positions Sorghum as Strategic Engine for Agricultural Investment, Value Addition

Addis Ababa, September 3, 2026 (FMC) — Ethiopia is positioning sorghum as a strategic investment frontier for agricultural transformation, with policymakers, investors and development partners exploring opportunities to build a competitive value chain spanning production, processing, trade and agro-industry at the Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF) 2026 in Kigali, Rwanda.

Opening the investment-focused session, AGRA Ethiopia Country Director Dr. Yihenew Zewdie highlighted the National Sorghum Flagship Programme as a platform for connecting Ethiopia’s agricultural potential with capital, enterprise, technology and markets.

Senior Adviser to the Minister of Agriculture Dr. Getachew Diriba presented Ethiopia’s investment proposition, pointing to policy and infrastructure measures designed to support agricultural investment, including favourable seed laws, the contract farming proclamation, tax incentives, agro-industrial parks and expanded electricity infrastructure.

He outlined opportunities across the sorghum value chain, from seed development and production to aggregation, storage and processing, as well as expanding food and feed markets. The approach seeks to raise productivity and value addition while strengthening smallholder livelihoods and opening greater opportunities for women and young people.

The discussions placed sorghum beyond its traditional role as a resilient food crop, highlighting its potential as a commercially viable platform for agro-industrial development, regional trade, job creation and inclusive growth.

Closing the session, Ambassador Mesfin Gebremariam called for stronger private-sector partnerships to translate the crop’s potential into investment, value addition, trade, employment and shared prosperity, reaffirming Ethiopia’s commitment to maintaining a predictable and conducive investment environment.

The Kigali dialogue also comes as preparations advance toward the establishment of the Pan Africa Sorghum Alliance, reinforcing efforts to elevate sorghum within Africa’s broader agricultural transformation and regional market agenda.