Africa is ripe for its own industrial revolution, but with 70 percent of Africans dependent on agriculture for their livelihoods, it must be a green one. We have been latecomers with the world's previous waves of industrialization; now we are catching up because necessity and the birth of new technologies are fostering a continent of innovators.
The green agricultural revolution here is well overdue. With more than 874 million hectares of arable land – nearly six times as much as in the United States – Africa has the opportunity to ensure food security for all without repeating the environmental mistakes made by advanced economies.