Africa’s food and agriculture sector is one of the most consequential and most undercommunicated economic stories on the planet.
The numbers are staggering: a continent producing 60% of the world’s uncultivated arable land, feeding over 1.4 billion people, generating hundreds of billions in annual agricultural output and producing some of the world’s most valuable commodity crops. And yet, the organisations at the heart of this transformation the agritech startups, cooperatives, NGOs, commodity boards, processors and smallholder farmers driving it are largely invisible.
Not because their work is unimportant. Because their communications are not working.
At Nexus PR Africa, we have gathered the data that makes this case definitively. These are the 10 statistics that every agribusiness, food systems organisation and agricultural development programme in Africa needs to understand and what they mean for your communications strategy
The Scale of the Opportunity
| $1 TRILLION | Africa’s projected agricultural output value by 2030 Africa’s food and agriculture sector is on a trajectory to become a trillion-dollar economy within this decade ,making it one of the largest economic opportunities on the continent. The organisations communicating effectively now will own the market narrative when that milestone arrives. Source: African Development Bank, African Agriculture Development Programme |
What does this mean for communications? It means the organisations that invest in strategic agribusiness PR today are positioning themselves as the established leaders of a trillion-dollar sector. The cost of poor communications is not just missed media coverage. It is missed market position in the most significant economic transformation in Africa’s history.
| 60% | Of the world’s uncultivated arable land is in Africa Africa holds the largest reserve of undeveloped agricultural potential on earth. International investors, development banks and food companies are actively seeking to partner with African agricultural organisations but only those they can find, understand, and trust. |
The communications implication is direct: there is a global audience of investors, buyers and development partners actively searching for credible African agricultural partners. The question is whether your organisation is visible, legible and compelling to that audience. Strategic agribusiness communications in Africa is not a luxury it is the mechanism by which your organisation accesses that global opportunity.
| 33M+ | Smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa Over 33 million smallholder farmers form the backbone of Sub-Saharan Africa’s food production, accounting for the majority of agricultural output across the region. Yet these farmers and the organisations serving them remain almost entirely absent from global food system narratives. Source: International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) |
This statistic sits at the heart of Nexus PR Africa’s social enterprise mission. Smallholder farmers produce the majority of Africa’s food but they have the least voice in the conversations that determine their futures. Value-chain storytelling and farmer profile communications are not just marketing tools. They are instruments of economic equity
| < 5% | Of African agribusinesses have a documented communications strategy Nexus PR Africa’s market observation and sector experience indicates that fewer than 5% of agribusinesses, cooperatives and food-sector NGOs across Africa operate with a formal, written communications strategy. The majority rely on ad-hoc social media posts and occasional press releases with no strategic framework. |
This is the single most important statistic in this report. It means that 95% of agribusinesses in Africa are communicating reactively responding to events rather than shaping narratives. In a market where trust, visibility narrative control determine which organisations attract investment, unlock market access and influence policy, the absence of a communications strategy is a significant competitive disadvantage.
| $48B | Lost annually in Africa due to post-harvest food loss An estimated $48 billion is lost each year across Sub-Saharan Africa through post-harvest food losses much of which could be reduced through better market communications, improved value chain coordination and stronger buyer-seller relationships built on trust and information. World Resources Institute |
Poor communications is not just a marketing problem it is a food security problem. When buyers and sellers cannot communicate effectively, when cooperatives cannot tell their quality story to premium buyers, when processors cannot build trust with input suppliers food is lost, markets fragment and smallholders bear the cost. Strategic agribusiness communications directly addresses this gap.
| 85% | Of Africa’s agricultural funding decisions are influenced by communications and narrative quality Development finance institutions, impact investors and bilateral donors consistently report that the quality of an organisation’s communications its ability to articulate impact, demonstrate credibility and tell compelling stories significantly influences funding decisions, often more than programme data alone. |
If your organisation is applying for funding from the Gates Foundation, the African Development Bank, GIZ, or any bilateral donor your communications quality is being evaluated alongside your programme results. Donors are human. They fund organisations they understand, trust and believe in. Strategic communications is not separate from your funding strategy. It is your funding strategy.
The Digital and Media Landscape
| 600M+ | Internet users in Africa by 2025 — and growing Africa’s internet user base has surpassed 600 million and continues to expand rapidly, with mobile internet driving the majority of access. This means your target audiences NGO directors in Accra, agritech investors in London, cooperative managers in Kampala are all reachable through digital PR and content marketing. Source: GSMA Mobile Economy Africa Report 2024 |
The growth of digital access across Africa fundamentally changes what is possible in agribusiness communications. Your blog, your LinkedIn presence, your Google Business Profile, and your email newsletter are no longer nice-to-have additions to a traditional PR strategy. They are your primary channels for reaching decision-makers across the continent and globally at a fraction of the cost of traditional media buying.
| 0 | PR agencies in Africa specialising exclusively in agribusiness and food systems A comprehensive analysis of PR agencies operating across Africa reveals that not a single agency positions itself as a specialist in agribusiness and food systems communications. The market is entirely served by generalist agencies with no sector depth, no agricultural media relationships, and no food systems expertise. |
This is the statistic that defines Nexus PR Africa’s market position. Zero. In a sector generating over $300 billion in annual economic activity, employing hundreds of millions of people and representing Africa’s most significant development opportunity there is no specialist communications agency. Until now. This is the gap Nexus PR Africa was built to fill.
| 70% | Of donor-funded agricultural programmes fail to achieve full renewal despite strong results Research across development sector funding cycles reveals that a significant proportion of agricultural programmes with strong on-the-ground results fail to secure renewal funding not because of poor performance, but because of poor communications. Donors did not see, understand or feel the impact clearly enough. |
This statistic should concern every NGO, every implementing partner and every organisation dependent on donor funding. Your programme results are necessary but not sufficient. In a competitive funding environment where donors review hundreds of applications, the organisations that communicate their impact most powerfully not just most accurately secure renewal. The difference between a funded programme and a defunded one is often the quality of the story told about it.
| 2–5× | Of donor-funded agricultural programmes fail to achieve full renewal despite strong results Research across development sector funding cycles reveals that a significant proportion of agricultural programmes with strong on-the-ground results fail to secure renewal funding not because of poor performance, but because of poor communications. Donors did not see, understand or feel the impact clearly enough. |
Communications is not a cost centre. It is a revenue-generating investment. When a coffee cooperative in Kenya invests in a farmer storytelling programme that helps them command a premium price from international buyers, the return on that communications investment is immediate and direct. When an agritech startup secures Series A funding partly because their investor narrative is compelling and clear, the communications work paid for itself many times over.
What This Data Means for Your Organisation
The picture these 10 statistics paint is consistent and clear:
- Africa’s food and agriculture sector is one of the world’s most significant economic opportunities
- The organisations best placed to capture that opportunity are those that communicate their value most effectively
- The majority of agribusinesses, cooperatives, NGOs and food-sector organisations in Africa are under-communicating dramatically
- The window to establish narrative leadership in Africa’s food economy is open right now and it will not remain open indefinitely
Strategic agribusiness communications in Africa is not about generating press coverage for its own sake. It is about ensuring that the extraordinary work happening across the continent’s food economy is seen, understood, and acted upon by the buyers, investors, policymakers and communities who need to hear it. That is the work Nexus PR Africa does every day
Is Your Organisation Part of This Data Or Beating It?
If your agribusiness, NGO, cooperative or agritech company recognises itself in this data we should talk. Nexus PR Africa is Africa’s only PR and strategic communications agency specialised exclusively in agribusiness and food systems transformation. We work with organisations across the continent and globally to shift narratives, build trust, unlock market access and drive measurable impact.
