Tanzania Is Now Exporting Excess Food After Achieving Security

Tanzania is raising the bar for food self-sufficiency in Africa, giving hope that the continent can overcome hunger and malnutrition.

According to Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, her country has achieved 128 percent food security and is currently exporting excess to its neighbors.

Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank Group, moderated a high-level session at the World Food Prize Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue in Iowa on Thursday, October 31st, during which Samia Suluhu Hassan spoke.

The session, entitled “Bold Measures to Feed Africa,” also featured the President of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Bio.

After attaining food sufficiency, Suluhu Hassan says they are now focusing on quality, affordability, and accessibility as well as ways to reduce losses after harvest.

For Tanzania’s success, African Development Bank President Adesina commended her strong political will and leadership style. According to him, the increasing dedication of other African countries highlights the continent’s preparedness for significant investments in food production and agriculture.

He recalled how commitment to country-specific food and agriculture compacts was sparked throughout Africa at the African Development Bank’s 2023 Dakar 2 Food Summit.

Thirty-four African heads of state and government attended the summit, which was co-hosted by the African Union and the Senegalese government. To date, it has raised over $72 billion.

According to President Suluhu Hassan, Tanzania departed the Dakar 2 summit with a signed agreement, the political will to establish institutions and support systems for its farmers, and the resolve to increase productivity.

“We realized that not investing in agriculture is much more costly than investing in the sector,” she said.

By processing and exporting cashew nuts, which are processed in Asia for almost all African nations, Tanzania has set yet another record.

With electricity in almost all of its 12,300 villages, the nation has also achieved success in rural electrification.

Tanzania’s Creating Jobs for Youth and Women program, supported by funding from the African Development Bank, aims to provide training in agriculture, livestock, crop farming, and farming to the nation’s 65% youth population.

According to the Tanzanian leader, each young person receives 10 acres of land along with training assistance; 11,000 people have already benefited, and this year’s harvest has started.

Dr. Adesina emphasized the African Development Bank’s initiatives to change how the world views Africa and encourage investment in vital industries like agriculture.

With 65% of the world’s remaining arable land and the technology to make Africa a global food basket, he said the event and the Africa Dialogue, also organized by the African Development Bank in Iowa, were meant to dispel stereotypes and highlight Africa’s potential.