More than 500 African leaders, policymakers, finance institutions, researchers and private-sector representatives have adopted the Abuja Clarion Call on Sustainable Financing for Agricultural Research, Development and Innovation.
The declaration was adopted on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, during a High-Level Ministerial Dialogue on Sustainable Financing for Agricultural Research, Development and Innovation held in Abuja as part of the 9th Africa Agriculture Science Week.
The National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) and the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) jointly organised the dialogue.
The meeting brought together the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari; FARA Board Chairperson, Bongiwe Njobe; FARA Executive Director, Dr Aggrey Agumya; former agriculture ministers from Rwanda and Zambia; NADF Chief Executive Officer, Mohammed Abu Ibrahim; Bank of Agriculture Managing Director, Ayodeji Oludare Sotinrin; and representatives of governments, African institutions, research organisations, development finance institutions, academia, farmers’ organisations and the private sector.
The dialogue focused on increasing political commitment, mobilising investment and developing sustainable financing systems for agricultural research and innovation.
A keynote paper presented during the meeting argued that agricultural research was among the highest-return public investments available to governments and linked Africa’s persistent food insecurity partly to inadequate investment in research, innovation and technology development.
Participants said declining international donor funding made it necessary for African countries to establish predictable domestic financing mechanisms for agricultural transformation.
The Abuja Clarion Call outlines six commitments, including increased domestic funding for agricultural research and innovation, stronger agricultural development funds, an African-led resource mobilisation process and a continental endowment fund.
It also calls for expanded public-private partnerships, wider use of blended finance and impact investment, and stronger collaboration among FARA, the African Union, AUDA-NEPAD, regional economic communities, national agricultural research systems and development partners.
A key outcome of the dialogue was an agreement for Nigeria, through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, to champion an African-led resource mobilisation process for sustainable agricultural research financing.
The process will include efforts to establish a continental endowment fund to support agricultural research, innovation and coordination through FARA.
Participants said increased investment in agricultural science could support climate-smart farming systems, resilient seed systems, competitive value chains, youth employment and food and nutrition security.
They also called on development finance institutions, commercial banks, philanthropic organisations and private investors to support blended finance and other funding mechanisms capable of reducing investment risks and accelerating technology commercialisation.
The participants concluded that Africa’s agricultural transformation would depend substantially on its willingness to finance its own scientific and technological development.
The release identified the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) as the media contact for the initiative.
