Africa’s burgeoning population will see the demand for food products tripling by 2030, according to Africa’s Development Dynamics (AfDD) 2019, which is published by the African Union Commission (AUC). It found that the regional demand for processed food had been growing 1.5 times faster than the global average. Large Pan-African firms and some dynamic start-ups are seizing these opportunities to grow. Regional value chains are needed to create stronger supplier networks around regional lead firms if the opportunities are to be turned into higher profits, more investment and new, decent jobs. Expanding pan-African companies identified in the report include Office Chérifien des Phosphates (OCP) and Attijariwafa Bank from Morocco; Dangote and United Bank of Africa from Nigeria; Ecobank from Togo; MeTL Group from Tanzania; Ethiopian Airlines; Safaricom hosting M-PESA from Kenya; and MTN and Shoprite from South Africa. “These ‘champions’ exemplify how African companies are harnessing the continent’s potential. “These African conglomerates have even diversified their services or products to operate in various markets and countries,” it states. The report adds that African demand for many other products such as road vehicles, manufactured metal products and industry machinery is expanding faster than the global average.