This was the central message delivered by Ms. Ogheneovo Ugbebor, a market systems development expert, during her keynote address at the DIniti8tive-Agropedia Webinar themed “Climate Risk Management and its Impacts on Food Security: Leveraging Innovation for Resilient Food Systems in Africa.”

Ms. Ugbebor was represented by Nkemjika Onuoha.

Speaking to a diverse audience of policymakers, agritech innovators, development practitioners, and private-sector actors, Ugbebor painted a sobering picture of the climate-induced pressures reshaping Africa’s food supply chain.

She noted that farmers who once relied on stable weather cycles now face unprecedented uncertainty.

“Across our continent today, farmers who once planned their planting cycles with confidence now wait in uncertainty watching the skies for rains that may arrive too late, too early, too lightly, or in destructive torrents,” she said. “Entire communities have seen their livelihoods swept away by floods in a matter of minutes, while families struggle under rising food prices triggered by disruptions that no one can fully predict.”

A Continent in Crisis: The Numbers Tell the Story

Statistics detailed in her address revealed the magnitude of the unfolding crisis:

• Sub-Saharan Africa is warming faster than the global average.
• Climate impacts could reduce crop yields by up to 20% by 2050.
  Nigeria loses $9–10 billion annually to floods, droughts, and extreme weather.

An estimated 26.5 million Nigerians may face acute food insecurity in 2025.

“These are not just statistics,” Ugbebor emphasized. “They represent real people, the smallholder farmers who produce over 70 percent of our food, the women who process and retail it, and the young agripreneurs building solutions amid growing uncertainty.”

She stressed that conversations like the DIniti8tive–Agropedia dialogue are not just timely, they are urgent.

The Triple Threat: Conflict, Climate, and COVID-19

Ugbebor identified what she called the “three Cs”: Conflict, Climate Change, and COVID-19, as intersecting forces expanding Africa’s food vulnerability.

Climate change is pushing communities to clear forests, degrade land, and adopt practices that worsen environmental decline.

Conflicts continue to disrupt farming and displace agricultural workers. Meanwhile, COVID-19’s aftershocks have exposed weak supply chains and highlighted overdependence on fragile systems.

“Without adaptation,” she warned, “Africa risks losing 6 to 30 percent of its GDP by 2050, equivalent to $100–$400 billion.”

Direct Impacts: How Climate Change Is Rewriting Agriculture

Ugbebor listed the immediate consequences of climate instability:

• Frequent crop failures
• Rising pest and disease outbreaks
• Increased resistance to pesticides
• Water scarcity and shrinking farmlands
• Rapid desertification and soil degradation

“These dynamics reveal that Nigeria’s food system is not simply stressed,” she said. “It is being reshaped.”

Innovation: Africa’s Greatest Opportunity for Adaptation

Despite the grim projections, Ugbebor maintained that Africa has enormous potential to withstand climate shocks, if innovation is placed at the heart of adaptation.

She highlighted technologies already changing the agricultural landscape:

• Climate-resilient and adaptive seed varieties
• Improved water-harvesting and irrigation systems
• IoT-enabled farm and environmental monitoring
• AI-powered early warning systems and disease detection
• Advanced breeding techniques for crops and livestock

But she insisted that innovation must be coupled with stronger collaboration and deliberate investment.

“Academia must leave the four walls of the school and offer practical solutions in real-time,” she advised, calling on universities and research institutions to co-create with industry and last-mile farmers.

She further stressed Africa’s opportunities in technology transfer, both intra-African and global, if local needs remain central to design and deployment.

The Missing Link: Storage, Logistics, and Market Systems

While food production remains vital, Ugbebor noted that Africa’s food crisis is equally an infrastructure crisis.

“Some regions suffer overproduction and massive post-harvest losses, while others face chronic underproduction,” she said. “The problem is not always insufficient food, it is inefficient distribution.”

She advocated for:

• Tech-enabled logistics and supply chain systems
• Stronger regional trade
• Modern storage and aggregation facilities
• Robust market linkages that ensure farmers earn sustainable income

These, she said, are the types of innovations that can propel Nigeria toward food sovereignty, not merely food security.

Collaboration: The Cornerstone of Climate Resilience

Ugbebor underscored that no single sector can tackle climate risks alone.

“We need the research expertise of institutions, the digital agility of agritech companies, the market linkages of the private sector, the policy direction of the government, and the trust built by development organisations,” she said.

She also called on donors and financiers to invest beyond pilots and support scalable national and regional solutions.

“Policy must reinforce what works and remove barriers that prevent the adoption of climate-smart practices.”

Ikore’s Commitment and Call to Action

Ugbebor concluded with a firm call for greater investment and cross-sector collaboration, congratulating DIniti8tive and expressing the readiness of her organisation, Ikore, to support future efforts.

“Ikore is firmly committed to advancing this work,” she said. “Our strength lies in testing and validating innovations that drive climate adaptation in real-world conditions. We stand ready to work with partners here today to scale impactful, context-driven innovations across our food systems.”

She urged stakeholders; governments, companies, research bodies, and development actors, to take immediate action.

“If we get climate risk management right, our food systems will not only survive, they will thrive. But if we delay, the costs in human lives, economic loss, and social instability will be immeasurable.”

Ugbebor heaped praises on the organisers DIniti8tive and Agropedia for taking the lead and providing a platform for researchers to access data, for farmers to share their experiences and receive help from innovators; even as institutions shared funding opportunities with about 100 participants at the event.

The virtual event featured expert contributions from AGRA, Agropedia, IITA/IsDB, Ikore International, Farm Monitor Africa, Extension Africa and the Environmental and Economic Resource Centre (EERC).

Setting the tone for the discussion, Dr. Fidelis Ekom, co-founder/managing partner, DIniti8tive, stressed that climate change has moved beyond prediction and is now a daily operational reality for communities and markets.

“Climate disruption is no longer a distant risk, but a lived experience for millions. Yet across Africa, we are also witnessing inspiring innovation and resilience. Africa cannot feed itself tomorrow with the systems of yesterday,” he said.

Moderated by Dr. Blessing Allen-Adebayo, the session underscored how rising temperatures, unpredictable rainfall, flooding, droughts and land degradation are reshaping livelihoods across the continent. Dr. Allen-Adebayo noted that Africa is warming faster than the global average, and because agriculture remains the backbone of most African economies, the consequences are immediate and far-reaching.

“This is one of the biggest threats to our food systems but also one of the greatest opportunities for bold, transformative action,” she added.

Delivering the keynote address on behalf of Ms. Ogheneovo Ugbebor, managing partner, Ikore International, Nkemjika Onuoha emphasised the urgency of rethinking agricultural systems in the face of escalating climate risks.

She highlighted that climate-induced disruptions could reduce crop yields by up to 20% by 2050, and Nigeria already loses billions annually to flooding, droughts and extreme weather.

 “These are not just statistics, they represent farmers, families, and futures,” she said, calling for stronger investment in climate-smart innovation, enabling policies and systems that can move proven solutions from pilot scale to national impact.

The need to convert climate threats into opportunities was further echoed by Mr. Munir Ahmad, Project Coordinator for the IITA/IsDB Tadamon Accelerated Agribusiness Project, who delivered the goodwill message.

He urged practitioners and development partners to focus on scalable, community-tested solutions that address real farmer constraints.

 “We must learn to use risk as an opportunity. Practical solutions must be backed by the right investment in farmer education and local support systems,” he stated.

One of the most powerful moments of the webinar came from the experiential sharing session led by Daniel Udeme-Joseph, CEO of Farm Monitor Africa.

Through the stories of smallholder farmers whose yields improved significantly with digital support, he illustrated how data, technology and climate-smart agronomy can transform outcomes for rural households.

Using a combination of satellite imagery, AI-powered crop calendars, real-time monitoring tools, and alternative credit scoring models, farmers supported by Farm Monitor Africa recorded 35% increases in yield, 31% increases in income, and 21% reductions in input waste.

“No one can solve all of agriculture’s problems alone, but everyone can take a piece and solve it well,” he remarked.

These insights set the stage for a rich panel dialogue featuring experts from across the agricultural ecosystem.

Representing Extension Africa, Nazeer Musa Ahmad, the Thematic Coordinator, Rural Structure Formation stressed the need to scale digital advisory systems capable of reaching last-mile farmers and helping them navigate unpredictable climate conditions. He highlighted the promise of AI-driven diagnostics, precision forecasting and digital extension services, while noting persistent challenges such as connectivity gaps and digital literacy.

From EERC, the Program Manager, Ronke Adeniyi shared evidence from Northeastern Nigeria and the Sahel, where techniques such as half-moon water harvesting, drought-tolerant seed varieties, solar-powered irrigation, organic amendments and farmer-led land restoration have proven effective against drought, flooding and soil degradation. She underscored the importance of embedding these interventions within community systems to ensure sustainability.

On the role of women and youth, Chief Bassey Archibong, CEO of Agropedia, emphasised the need for user-centered design in scaling climate-smart innovations.

He noted that trust, and not just technology, is critical for adoption. Women and youth, who drive much of Africa’s

Dr. Rufus Idris, country director at AGRA, provided regional lessons from AGRA’s interventions across Africa, calling attention to the foundational role of strong seed systems, soil fertility management, regenerative agriculture, solar-powered irrigation and innovation in reducing post-harvest losses.

He stressed that multi-stakeholder partnerships anchored in policy, research and private sector alignment are essential to scale.

Collectively, the experts underscored that while climate risks are intensifying, Africa possesses the ingenuity, talent and innovation ecosystem needed to transform its food systems.

The session concluded with a powerful call to action for coordinated investment, evidence-driven policymaking, digital inclusion and farmer-centered solutions capable of driving long-term resilience.

DIniti8tive and Agropedia reaffirmed their commitment to sustaining these conversations, strengthening cross-sector collaboration, and amplifying practical innovations that can support millions of smallholder farmers across the continent.

Meet DIniti8tive

Digital and Technological Empowerment Innovation Initiative for Next Generation (DIniti8tive), is a Nigeria-based non-profit organisation committed to advancing digital inclusion, innovation, and resilience across Africa.

Through capacity-building, technology-driven programmes, research, and cross-sector partnerships, the organisation supports young people, communities and institutions to leverage digital tools for sustainable development.

DIniti8tive works to close the digital divide, strengthen climate and livelihood resilience, and promote equitable participation in emerging technological ecosystems, ensuring that the next generation is empowered to thrive in an increasingly digital world.