African Union implements digital strategy to modernize agriculture

The African Union’s Digital Agriculture Strategy (AU-DAS), active through 2026, seeks to modernize the continent’s agricultural sector by addressing productivity gaps through technology adoption and regional collaboration.

While agriculture employs 60% of Africa’s workforce, it contributes only 15% to the GDP. Digital tools aim to bridge deficits in information, finance, and market access. Key initiatives include improving interoperability between fragmented digital platforms to facilitate cross-border trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area.

Digitization is also being utilized as an anti-corruption measure. For example, Kenya’s digital e-voucher system reduced input delivery costs by 40% and increased subsidy receipt rates from 60% to 95%. Additionally, IoT tools and early-warning systems are being deployed to mitigate climate volatility and pest surveillance, such as monitoring the fall armyworm, which causes approximately $6 billion in annual losses across the continent.