According to the United Nations, Africa is now home to more than 1.5 billion people, and by 2050, one in every four people in the world is projected to be African. This demographic transformation presents both a pressing challenge and a remarkable opportunity for the continent’s agrifood systems. As reported by the African Development Bank (AfDB), Africa possesses nearly 65 per cent of the world’s remaining uncultivated arable land, yet the continent continues to import approximately US$70 billion worth of food annually. Agriculture contributes about 17 percent of Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP), and provides livelihoods for nearly half of its workforce.
These figures underscore the strategic importance of transforming Africa’s agricultural sector to enhance food security, reduce dependence on food imports and generate employment. Yet, economic productivity cannot be the sole objective of this transformation. Environmental protection and social responsibility are non-negotiable prerequisites for global market access and long-term competitiveness.
The implementation of the 2024 Roundtable on Sustainable Palm (RSPO) Principles and Criteria (P&C) provides the African palm oil sector with an actionable framework to lead this transition.
In Africa, allegations of land grabbing by companies often stem from non-consultative processes. Before any operational expansion occurs, land acquisition processes must involve local communities, customary landowners, and neighbouring villages. By ensuring respect for consultative processes and customary rights, the RSPO Standards ensure that development does not come at the expense of local communities’ displacement.
More than half of Africa’s workforce is engaged in agriculture, making worker protection in agricultural settings even more crucial on a national level. The 2024 RSPO P&C introduced mandatory Human Rights Due Diligence that aligns with both the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) and key International Labour Organization conventions.
RSPO Certified growers must identify existing and potential human rights risks within their or their suppliers’ operations and develop an action plan to address them. Explicit labour protections include fair remuneration, prohibition of debt bondage and safe and independent grievance channels for whistleblowers and workers.
Sustainability also demands environmental stewardship, such as protecting tropical forests, which is essential for climate mitigation, but conservation policies must also respect local socio-economic realities. The 2024 RSPO P&C reinforces no-deforestation, prohibiting land clearance on High Conservation Value (HCV) areas, High Carbon Stock (HCS) forests, and peatlands.
At the same time, countries with highly forested landscapes, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo (Congo-Brazzaville), Gabon, and Liberia, also need room for economic growth. The RSPO recognises this in the new Standard and will create a procedure specifically for the development of certified sustainable palm oil in forest-rich countries. This will enable local communities to balance sustainable livelihoods and poverty reduction with the need to conserve, protect, and enhance ecosystems.
This procedure will take into consideration regional and national multi-stakeholder processes and will be designed to enable communities to choose their own development path, while providing socio-economic benefits and safeguards.
Building supply chains that respect and uphold human rights and environmental safeguards does more than satisfy international buyers; it benefits Africa’s regional market. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) connects a market of approximately 1.4 billion people with a combined GDP exceeding US$3 trillion. For agriculture, this presents an unprecedented opportunity to build regional ethically sourced value chains and create higher-value employment across the continent.
To realise this vision, key stakeholders need to join the private sector that is working to make palm oil sustainable. Governments must continue investing in rural infrastructure that will reduce transportation costs between smallholders and mills. Financial institutions need lending models that reflect the realities of agricultural production and the long investment cycles many farmers face, and development partners must continue supporting farmer capacity, climate resilience and innovation.
Africa’s agricultural future will be determined by whether it can build an agricultural economy that creates value for farmers, protects natural ecosystems and strengthens regional economies. The opportunity is ripe to redefine the continent’s place in global agriculture. If Africa gets this right, it will help shape the future of global agriculture itself.
Opinion by Victor Tamanjong, Technical Manager, Round Table for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)
