Africa's top agricultural exporters face a surprising paradox. Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, and Kenya earn billions selling cocoa, tea, and cashews to global markets - yet spend 45-66% of those earnings importing wheat, rice, and dairy. These countries allocated their best land to high-value export crops, creating structural food import dependency. When commodity prices crash or food prices spike, the model breaks down. Climate change intensifies the risk.

Côte d'Ivoire dominates global agricultural exports: 45% of cocoa, 40% of cashews, $7-9.8 billion in sales. Yet Ivorians earn just $197 monthly, less than half what Kenyans make. The paradox? Foreign multinationals control processing, repatriating profits abroad. Kenya's farmer-owned cooperatives keep value local. This analysis reveals why agricultural success doesn't translate to household income, and what ownership structures mean for food affordability across Africa.

As African economies seek development paths in an increasingly constrained global environment, Côte d'Ivoire's agricultural strategy offers valuable lessons. A focus on existing comparative advantages, pragmatic market engagement, and gradual diversification has proven more effective than dramatic economic experiments. But the coming decades will test whether this model can evolve to meet new challenges of climate change, environmental sustainability, and inclusive growth.