AFRICAN HUNGER IS MAN-MADE Amanda Parris sat down with Nana Odongo for a sharp, necessary conversation about Black food sovereignty. At its core was a simple but uncomfortable truth: hunger in Africa is not natural; it is engineered. Africa holds roughly 60% of the world’s uncultivated arable land, according to the UN; yet the continent remains a net food importer, spending tens of billions of dollars each year importing food it could grow itself. Nana explains why: African agriculture is still structured around export, not nourishment. Land, labour, and water go to cut flowers, tea, coffee, cocoa, and fresh produce for Europe and global markets, while local populations are left with scraps, lower-grade products, or higher prices. Kenya exports premium tea and flowers while domestic food insecurity persists. Ghana is one of the world’s largest cocoa producers, yet processes less than a fraction of its cocoa into chocolate. Most of the value is added in Europe, where countries like Switzerland dominate global chocolate profits without growing a single cocoa bean. Analysts don’t view this as an accident; it is neocolonialism in practice. Political independence did not come with economic or food sovereignty. The colonial logic remains intact; Africa produces, others consume and profit. As Nana puts it, you cannot talk about independence without first talking about the right to feed yourself. Food security is power. Data shows that until African states prioritise feeding their own people over global markets, the myth of scarcity will continue to mask a system built on extraction, dependency, and unequal exchange.