Awakening Africa's Sleeping
Giant : Prospects for Commercial Agriculture in the Guinea
Savannah Zone and Beyond

This report summarizes the findings of
the study on Competitive Commercial Agriculture for Africa
(CCAA). The objective of the CCAA study was to explore the
feasibility of restoring international competitiveness and
growth in African agriculture through the identification of
products and production systems that can underpin rapid
development of a competitive commercial agriculture. The
CCAA study focused on the agricultural potential of
Africa's Guinea Savannah zone, which covers about 600
million hectares in Africa, of which about 400 million
hectares can be used for agriculture, and of which less than
10 percent are cropped. The African Guinea Savannah is one
of the largest underused agricultural land reserves in the
world. In terms of its agro climatic features, the land is
similar to that found in the Cerrado region of Brazil and in
the Northeast Region of Thailand, with medium-to-high
agricultural potential but also significant constraints in
the form of infertile soils and variable rainfall. Based on
a careful examination of the factors that contributed to the
successes achieved in Brazil and Thailand, as well as
comparative analysis of evidence obtained through detailed
case studies of three African (Mozambique, Nigeria, and
Zambia) countries. This report argues that opportunities
abound for farmers in Africa to regain international
competitiveness, especially in light of projected stronger
demand in world markets for agricultural commodities over
the long term.