Lagos, Nigeria — Experts have raised alarm over Africa’s growing technology gap in agriculture, warning that it could worsen the continent’s food insecurity and derail efforts to build resilience among smallholder farmers already battling climate shocks, rising costs, and weak access to financing.
Speaking at the Agriculture Summit Africa 2025, co-sponsored by Arzikin Noma and Sterling Bank, agribusiness leader Adeshola, stressed that technology is fast becoming a defining factor in global food security and Africa cannot afford to lag behind.
“Food can be weaponised, and Africa must wake up,” Adeshola said. “Technology has become a game changer for agribusinesses boosting productivity, streamlining financing, and improving farmers’ resilience. What brought us here will not take us to where we need to be. Food is the future.”
He cited how Arzikin Noma’s early digital transformation helped the company navigate Nigeria’s 2023 naira redesign policy, which caused widespread cash shortages.
“Before the cash crisis, we had already issued over 1,000 ATM cards to our farmers through a partnership with our bank and MasterCard,” he explained. “That year, we achieved 101% repayment the best ever. The digital system ensured prompt payments and encouraged savings, with over 90% of farmers retaining their earnings.”
Agritech founder Okugbo Moses offered a broader perspective, describing the real crisis as a “last-mile information gap.”
“It’s not just about drones or satellites. The real challenge is getting practical information to rural farmers those who are poor, disconnected, and untrained,” he said. “Many technological solutions assume internet access and literacy that most African farmers don’t have. We need localised innovation systems that meet farmers where they are.”
He cited Kenya’s M-Pesa model as an example of simple, mobile-based innovation that bridged the gap between farmers and financial systems.
Adeshola also highlighted the company’s use of climate-smart agriculture and digital advisory tools to help farmers make informed, weather-based decisions.
“If we know it will rain tomorrow, we can advise farmers to apply fertiliser today,” he noted. “That’s how data-driven farming improves yields.”
Despite the challenges of infrastructure and digital literacy, experts agreed that technology holds the key to Africa’s agricultural transformation.
“The future is technology,” Adeshola concluded. “The earlier we adopt and cascade it to rural farming communities, the better our chances of achieving true food sovereignty.”
