Africa’s continued dependence on exporting raw agricultural commodities is costing the continent billions of dollars in lost wealth, jobs, and industrial growth, Uganda’s Senior Presidential Advisor on Agri-business and Value Addition, Hillary Emmanuel Musoke, has warned.
Speaking during the 2026 African Union Day commemoration in Nairobi, Dr. Musoke urged African leaders to accelerate agro-industrialization, regional trade integration, and value addition if the continent is to achieve the aspirations of the African Union Agenda 2063 framework.
Addressing delegates at a high-level panel discussion themed “Agenda 2063 – The Africa We Want” at the Edge Convention Centre on May 25, Dr. Musoke described Africa’s continued export of raw materials as an “economic hemorrhage” that has deprived millions of young Africans of employment opportunities and weakened the continent’s economic sovereignty.
“Africa is not poor in land, labor, or water,” he said. “We are poor in value. In that gap, we are exporting both jobs and wealth in containers. We are exporting our sovereignty.”
Dr. Musoke highlighted what he called one of Africa’s greatest contradictions: despite possessing nearly 60 percent of the world’s uncultivated arable land and abundant freshwater resources, the continent still imports more than $50 billion worth of food annually.
He argued that Africa’s naturally organic farming systems present a significant opportunity in premium global markets, but the continent continues to lose value because it exports raw products instead of processed goods.
According to Dr. Musoke, commodities such as coffee beans, cocoa, cotton, hides, and skins are largely exported in raw form, allowing foreign industries to dominate the most profitable stages of production, including processing, branding, packaging, and certification.
Using Uganda’s coffee sector as an example, he noted that while African farmers produce some of the world’s finest coffee, most profits are realized abroad where the beans are roasted, packaged, and sold back to international markets at premium prices.
He revealed that Uganda alone loses more than $1.5 billion annually through the export of unprocessed agricultural products, warning that the trend is contributing to unemployment and rising youth migration.
“The most painful symptom of this hemorrhage is migration,” Dr. Musoke said. “Young Africans are risking everything to leave for Europe, the Middle East, and the United States because we have not built industries at home.”
The Ugandan delegation linked the country’s development agenda to the broader goals of the African Union’s Agenda 2063, which seeks to build a prosperous and globally influential Africa driven by inclusive growth and sustainable development.
Dr. Musoke said President Yoweri Museveni’s administration is prioritizing agro-industrialization and commercialization of agriculture through initiatives such as the Parish Development Model, which aims to organize millions of Ugandans into savings and production cooperatives.
He noted that Uganda is increasingly investing in agro-processing zones, standards laboratories, organic certification systems, and youth-centered agricultural technologies to transform farming from subsistence activity into a modern commercial sector.
The delegation also emphasized the importance of the African Continental Free Trade Area in creating regional markets for processed African products, arguing that African economies must trade more with each other rather than primarily exporting raw materials to external markets.
Dr. Musoke proposed four major reforms to accelerate Africa’s economic transformation, including harmonization of trade policies to eliminate non-tariff barriers, increased financing for agro-industrial enterprises, reforms in education systems to prioritize technical and industrial skills, and development of African-owned certification systems and manufacturing brands.
He further challenged governments across the continent to undertake comprehensive value-chain analyses aimed at identifying industries that can be developed locally from agricultural products already produced in Africa.
“No more exporting hides and importing shoes. No more exporting cotton and importing second-hand clothes. No more exporting sovereignty in containers,” he said.
The discussions in Nairobi come amid growing debates across African economies about food security, industrialization, climate resilience, and economic self-reliance as global trade disruptions and youth unemployment continue to rise.
Other speakers at the summit echoed similar concerns, calling for stronger regional cooperation and investment in youth innovation to unlock Africa’s economic potential.
Among them was Patrick Loch Otieno Lumumba, who warned that Africa’s youthful population could either become a major economic advantage or a source of instability if governments fail to expand industrialization and employment opportunities.
A strong call for African unity also emerged during the summit, with Mahmoud Ali Youssouf and Évariste Ndayishimiye urging African states to deepen integration and speak with one voice on global issues.
Marking 63 years since the founding of the Organization of African Unity, the leaders called for reforms to global governance systems, including renewed demands for permanent African representation on the United Nations Security Council.
Youssouf highlighted Africa’s growing global influence, including its permanent membership in the G20, while President Ndayishimiye warned that terrorism, climate disasters, conflicts, and limited access to education continue to threaten the continent’s future.
Both leaders reinforced calls for stronger implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area, arguing that regional trade and industrialization are essential for job creation and long-term economic resilience.
The summit also celebrated several continental milestones, including the qualification of nine African teams for the FIFA World Cup, which leaders described as a reflection of Africa’s rising talent and global ambition.
Closing his address, Dr. Musoke urged African leaders to rethink agriculture as more than food production, describing it as the foundation for industrial growth, sovereignty, and continental transformation.
“A prosperous Africa,” he said, “is an Africa that processes what it produces.”
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