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African Agri. & Food News
Kenya Calls for Africa to Stop Exporting Jobs with Raw Agricultural Produce
1 July 2026
Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development, Mutahi Kagwe, has urged African countries to rethink their agricultural trade strategies by prioritising local processing and value addition before exporting agricultural commodities. Speaking at the World Food Prize Foundation’s DialogueNEXT Africa Forum in Nairobi, Kagwe argued that Africa continues to lose jobs, investment and economic value by exporting raw produce while higher-value manufacturing takes place overseas.
Kagwe criticised what he described as unfair global trade practices that allow raw commodities to enter many developed markets with little or no duty, while imposing significantly higher tariffs on processed agricultural products. He said this system discourages industrialisation across Africa and prevents farmers and businesses from earning the full value of the products they produce. Using coffee, tea and macadamia as examples, he called on African governments to encourage local processing, packaging and branding before export.
He further noted that by exporting raw agricultural commodities, African nations are effectively exporting manufacturing jobs and missing an opportunity to create employment for millions of young people across processing, logistics, packaging and agricultural technology industries. Kagwe also urged governments to adopt policies that support agro-processing through improved financing, investment incentives and modern manufacturing infrastructure.
The remarks reflect a growing movement across the continent to build stronger agricultural value chains capable of increasing export earnings while driving industrial growth. As demand for high-quality African food products continues to rise around the world, many experts believe that greater investment in value addition will be critical to improving farmer incomes, strengthening food systems and positioning Africa as a leading supplier of premium processed agricultural products in global markets.
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