This policy brief argues that when guided by nutrition-sensitive strategies, food processing in Africa can be harnessed to improve dietary quality, enhance food safety, reduce postharvest losses, and create economic opportunities, particularly for women-and youth-led enterprises. However, the proliferation of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) can have negative consequences on public health, unless appropriate regulation are in place and consumer education is enhanced. This policy brief collects evidence on this topic drawing from the Malabo Montpellier Panel’s 2024 VALUE-UP report and from innovative case studies across Africa.

Key recommendations:

• Food Processing Should be a Public Health Priority. To achieve this, African governments must adopt a public health-focused approach to food processing, recognizing its critical role in protecting and enhancing nutritional value, particularly for vulnerable populations. This can be accomplished by modernizing regulatory systems and investing in technologies that promote minimally processed, nutrient-rich foods.
• Strengthen Linkages between Smallholder Farmers and Processors. This can be achieved through contract farming, producer organizations, and the use of digital platforms that connect actors across the value chain. It is essential to invest in modern farming technologies and machinery, implement supportive regulations and improve infrastructure especially in storage, marketing, distribution, and packaging. This will increase the income of farmers, enabling them to afford healthy diets.
• Calibrated Support to SMEs and Large Enterprises. SMEs, prevalent in Africa’s food processing sector, are engines of local employment and innovation. Many are led by women and youth and are deeply embedded in rural economies. Supporting these SMEs with financing, training, and business incubation can multiply their impact. However, a long-term strategy must also support larger processing firms, which ensure product quality, economies of scale, and a wide geographic reach.
• Interlocking Agro-processing and Nutrition Outcomes. Governments and regional bodies should support the production of fortified foods, especially for staples. Public-private partnerships can play a pivotal role in developing nutrition-sensitive product lines, such as ready-to-cook flours enriched with micronutrients, or weaning foods designed for infant and maternal health
• Leveraging Specialized Agencies for Tailored Interventions. Dynamic, semi-autonomous agencies can deliver tailored support at speed and scale. African countries already house examples of institutions leading this agenda, such as the Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute (KIRDI) and, In Senegal, the Délégation Générale à l’Entrepreneuriat Rapide (DER) and the Institut de Technologie Alimentaire
• Sensitization for Sustained Impact. Consumer behaviour also is a major determinant of success. Technical innovation must be accompanied by demand-side strategies, such as nutrition education, social marketing campaigns, and product labelling reforms. Institutional buyers—such as school feeding programs and public hospitals—can also create guaranteed markets for healthy processed foods.