In this chapter we apply a food systems lens to examine how governments in Africa south of the Sahara (SSA) have responded to the COVID-19 crisis, focusing specifically on the social protection response, and to explore the emerging empirical evidence on the impacts the crisis is having on food system actors. We show that the social protection response to the COVID-19 crisis was largely insufficient to stem widespread and substantial welfare losses throughout African food systems and rural spaces. The findings highlight the urgent need to strengthen, reconceptualize, and redesign social protection systems in the region to support effective and inclusive postpandemic recovery efforts and to strengthen resilience to future shocks. Ultimately, we seek to provide conceptual guidance on how social protection systems can be leveraged not only to enhance the building back and resilience of African food systems but also to support more socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable food systems transformation in the region.