Over 600 African faith leaders demand reparations from the Gates Foundation

A powerful continental call for justice is rising from Africa’s faith communities. Well over 600 faith leaders from across the continent have signed a renewed open letter to the Gates Foundation, demanding reparations for the ecological and social harm caused by industrial agriculture and urging a just transition toward agroecology. The milestone marks a surge in support for the campaign, led by the Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute (SAFCEI) and supported by networks such as the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA). The letter continues and strengthens the first direct appeal to the Gates Foundation in 2020, to end funding for the failing Green Revolution model in Africa, which seeks to change African seed laws and industrialise farming production.

The updated letter, officially launched alongside the “Advancing Gender Equity in Climate Leadership” event on Africa Day for Food and Nutrition Security (29 October 2025), underscores a growing consensus among religious, traditional, and community leaders that Africa’s food future must be locally rooted, ecologically sound, and socially just. Their call comes amid mounting evidence that hunger has risen by over 30% in countries targeted by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), despite more than US$1 billion invested.

“Instead of lifting farmers out of poverty, AGRA’s industrial agriculture model has deepened financial dependency, depleted soil fertility, and undermined the sovereignty and resilience of smallholder communities in Africa. Therefore, as we launch this letter, we call upon the Gates Foundation to pay reparations to the smallholder farmers in Africa who have been affected by the industrial agriculture that the Foundation supports,” said Gabriel Manyangadze, Food and Climate Justice Manager at SAFCEI.

“We have seen a rise in hunger, a decline in nutrient-rich local crops, and a rash of new policies that undermine farmers’ rights over their own seeds. It is time for the Gates Foundation to reconsider its approach, acknowledge the harm caused, and invest in restoring the resilience of Africa’s farmers and ecosystems,” adds Manyangadze, who continues to monitor and track their actions, and engage in a number of different spaces related to their funded efforts.

The movement’s growing momentum underscores the moral and ecological urgency of reimagining food systems in line with the principles of justice, sustainability, and shared prosperity.

Women’s leadership stands at the heart of this call for transformation. “Reparations matter now because decades of industrial agriculture-driven harm demand a restorative turn,” said Ulfat Masibo, Executive Director of the Africa Muslim Women Action Network in Kenya. “As faith communities, we have a duty to protect life, dignity, and the land. Funders and policymakers must invest in repair, uplift women’s leadership, and support local, resilient food systems that nurture rather than exploit creation.”

From rural Zimbabwe, traditional healer and agroecologist Doreen Badze shared a grounded perspective on what reparations mean for women farmers. She says, “Chemical farming has harmed our soils and communities. Returning to agroecological ways restores the earth, honours the Creator, and reconnects us to our ancestral wisdom. Reparations are not just about money – they are about healing our relationship with the land and each other.”

Faith leaders argue that the continued promotion of industrial farming models by the Gates Foundation, through programmes like AGRA, undermines the very goals of ending hunger and poverty. Independent research from Tufts University and other institutions has revealed that the Green Revolution in Africa has failed to deliver promised yield increases or improve rural livelihoods, while depleting natural resources and reducing biodiversity. Instead, agroecology – a holistic, locally-led approach to farming – has emerged as a proven pathway to food sovereignty, ecological restoration, and climate resilience.

Francesca de Gasparis, SAFCEI’s Executive Director, emphasised that faith communities are not only moral voices but active agents of change. “Across the continent, people of faith and institutions such as churches, mosques, temples, as well as traditional leaders are standing together to defend life and the integrity of the land, and the whole of creation. This growing alliance of well over 600 faith leader signatories shows the strength in a united call for reparations and a radical shift toward agroecology, with supporting organisations and individuals we are near to 1000 signatories. Now is the time for funders, governments, and policymakers to listen and act.”

The campaign’s timing is strategic. With international funders reviewing climate and agricultural portfolios, ahead of major global summits, African voices are demanding a seat at the table. Development financing must no longer deepen dependency or ecological destruction but should instead nurture community-led, gender-just, and ecologically regenerative farming systems that protect both people and the planet.

SAFCEI is urging all faith-based and community organisations, as well as members of the public, to join us, sign the letter and stand in solidarity with African faith leaders, and call for reparations and a just transition. The letter will remain open for additional signatures until the end of November 2025, when it will be formally delivered to the Gates Foundation.

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Note to Editor:

About the Gates Letter Campaign

The Gates Letter Campaign is a pan-African, faith-led initiative coordinated by SAFCEI with partners such as the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AfSA). Launched in 2020, the campaign urges the Bill Gates Foundation and other funders of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) to stop supporting industrial agriculture that harms smallholder farmers, ecosystems, and food sovereignty. Following continued advocacy and a meeting with the Foundation in 2022, SAFCEI and partners have monitored AGRA-related initiatives and mobilised across the continent, including against UPOV in Zimbabwe. The 2025 Gates Letter – endorsed by over 600 African faith leaders – renews this call, demanding reparations and a shift toward agroecology as a just and sustainable path for Africa’s future food security.