From dialogue to investment: African big ocean states chart a new path for agrifood systems transformation

Sao Tome - African Small Island Developing States (SIDS) have taken an important step toward transforming their agrifood systems and unlocking new investment opportunities following a three-day African SIDS solutions and investment forum in São Tomé and Príncipe.

The gathering brought together ministers, parliamentarians, investors and development partners, as well as representatives of the African SIDS Interregional Technical Network (ITN) from across the continent’s island states to move beyond discussions and begin shaping a concrete investment pathway for resilient agrifood and blue transformation.

Convened by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in close collaboration with African SIDS Governments, the forum marked a broader repositioning of island economies, from being seen primarily as vulnerable states facing climate and trade constraints to emerging hubs of innovation, resilience and opportunity.

Leaders stressed that African Island nations are not merely “small states,” but “big ocean states” managing vast marine resources and strategic maritime zones that offer significant potential for sustainable growth and investment.

At the centre of the forum’s outcomes was the launch of Phase II of the Hand-in-Hand Initiative expanding cooperation between the Atlantic African SIDS (Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau and São Tomé and Príncipe) and the Indian Ocean African SIDS (Comoros, Mauritius and Seychelles). Phase I had been implemented by the Indian Ocean islands with the leadership of the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC).

The new phase establishes a programmatic framework built around four strategic pillars: integrated development of agrifood value chains, blue transformation, science, technology and innovation (STI), and stronger regional market integration.

“The first phase demonstrated that regional cooperation among island states can unlock real development opportunities,” Marc Maminiaina, a representative of the Indian Ocean Commission noted. “By expanding the initiative to Atlantic African SIDS, we are strengthening solidarity and creating a broader platform for investment and innovation.”

Marc Maminiaina, a representative of the Indian Ocean Commission

From commitments to concrete action  

“African SIDS have made it clear: they are open for investment, open for innovation and open for transformative collaboration,” said Patrice Talla, the FAO Subregional Coordinator for Southern Africa and the FAO African SIDS Programme Manager.

“This forum has been much more than a technical gathering. It has been a strategic platform for solutions, a marketplace for investments and a renewed pact for cooperation among African island States,” he added.

Over the course of the three days, participating countries presented a pipeline of scalable and bankable agrifood and blue transformation solutions, ranging from climate-resilient agriculture and sustainable fisheries to science, technology and innovation (STI) tools for agricultural data and market access.

Investment and partnership clinics offered a practical platform for government teams to refine project concepts, strengthen their technical design and enhance readiness for financing, laying the foundation for the development of a regional investment portfolio aimed at mobilizing support from development partners and private investors.

The portfolio will be consolidated in the coming months and presented at the World Food Forum 2026, scheduled from 13 to 16 October at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Rome. Organized annually by FAO since 2021, the forum convenes investors, governments, youth leaders and innovators to accelerate investment and action toward transforming global agrifood systems.

The FAO Subregional Coordinator for West Africa a.i., Bintia Stephen, highlighted the importance of innovation and partnerships in scaling solutions emerging from island economies. “African SIDS are laboratories for climate-resilient agriculture, fisheries management and blue transformation. The priority now is to scale these solutions through stronger partnerships and targeted investments.”

Unlocking island economies by removing trade and investment barriers

Delegates stressed that unlocking the full potential of island economies will depend on addressing persistent trade and investment bottlenecks. Discussions highlighted that attracting investment requires stronger enabling conditions across many African island states.

Participants pointed to structural barriers that continue to constrain trade and investment flows, noting that in several island economies it is often easier to import goods than to export them. This imbalance undermines local production, weakens domestic value chains and limits opportunities for value addition within island economies.

Participants therefore called for accelerated reforms to strengthen trade facilitation and improve the business environment. Key priorities include streamlining regulations, expanding paperless trade systems and strengthening traceability and quality standards, enabling island products to compete more effectively in regional and global markets.

Stronger together: African island states build regional momentum for investment

Beyond national reforms, participants emphasized that regional cooperation will be essential to overcome structural constraints and unlock larger investment opportunities. Individually, many island economies face small domestic markets and limited negotiating power. Working together, however, they can build stronger investment propositions and develop regional value chains capable of attracting larger investors.

The FAO Subregional Coordinator for Central Africa, Athman Mravili, underscored the importance of collective action in strengthening the investment case for African island economies. “When African island states act together, they strengthen their negotiating power, build regional value chains and create opportunities that individual markets alone cannot generate.”

To advance this collaborative approach, the forum endorsed the establishment of the ministerial and parliamentary African SIDS Agrifood Systems Transformation Network (ASATNet), a new platform designed to deepen coordination and accelerate joint action across island states.

The network will serve as a mechanism to align policies, facilitate the exchange of knowledge and mobilize financing for priority regional initiatives aimed at transforming agrifood systems.

“Countries have showcased innovations in climate-resilient agriculture, sustainable fisheries, science, technology and innovation (STI) tools and value chain development. These discussions clearly show that African SIDS are not only vulnerable territories but also centres of creativity, innovation and resilience,” noted Maria de Fátima Monteiro Jardim, Executive Secretary of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries.

Looking ahead, the network will be chaired by Seychelles during its first two years, while the next African SIDS Forum and ASATNet meeting will take place in November 2027 in Seychelles, ensuring continuity of dialogue and sustained momentum for collective action and investment in island agrifood systems.

Taking the African SIDS agenda to the continental stage 

Momentum from São Tomé will now carry forward to key international platforms, including the 34th FAO Regional Conference for Africa (ARC34), scheduled for 13 to 17 April 2026 in Mauritania, where the SIDS investment agenda will be presented to African policymakers.

Several follow-up actions have already been identified. The FAO–China South-South Cooperation programme will help accelerate implementation of priority initiatives including digital agriculture and fisheries value chains modernization, while ASATNet will launch thematic working groups to advance policy reforms and coordinate technical support across countries.

For African island States, the message from São Tomé is clear: the conversation has shifted. From identifying challenges to mobilizing investment, from ideas to bankable projects, and from isolated initiatives to a collective regional strategy for transformation.

As Xianjun Yao, Director of the FAO Office for SIDS, LCDs and LLDCs (OSL), concluded at the close of the forum, “the solutions presented here are ready for scaling, and the political will is evident. The time to act is now.”