Africa’s Food Security is the Focus of HSE University’s Expertise

International Conference on Ensuring Food Sovereignty in Africa held in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia at the end of November 2025.

International Conference "Food Security in Africa" was organized by Rossotrudnichestvo with the support of Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. It included plenary session, round tables, B2B-dialogues and thematic sessions – from women’s role in development of countries in the region to strategic partnerships in agricultural sector.

In his presentation "Food Security: Challenges, Global Trends and Wild Cards" Prof. Alexander Sokolov shared results of South Africa’s Foresight Exercise for Science, Technology and Innovation 2030 prepared some years ago by the International Research and Educational Foresight Center of HSE University Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge in the interest of the Department for Science, Technology and Innovation of the Republic of South Africa.  Many of the findings and recommendations from this study remain relevant for the African continent.

Particularly, Africa remains highly vulnerable to demographic and climate challenges: population growth and declining agroclimatic potential of the planet, including deforestation and soil degradation, rising average annual temperatures and freshwater scarcity. Furthermore when developing a food security strategy, policy-makers and stakeholders should consider risks of accelerating urbanization, increasing dependence on foreign technologies, ongoing political instability, and lack of financial resources. Poverty remains the main threat to sustainable agricultural development in Africa: food expenditure accounts for 60-80% of total household income, and 25% of children under five are chronically undernourished.

According the Russian scientist, open access for smallholder farmers to basic technologies and public investments in technologies reducing losses during transportation and storage could be a key to achieve food sovereignty in Africa.

Africa should not ignore global technology trends: agricultural robotics, vertical farmers, new desalination and water transportation technologies, smart farming, and advances in biotechnology, says Alexander Sokolov.

The main conference’s outcome was productive exchange of opinions, knowledge, ideas and skills on issues of ensuring and maintaining food independence of the continent. During the event representatives of Russian and African academic circles established useful contacts, agreed to initiate joint projects between universities and research organisations.