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.

Most African countries borrow billions to expand electricity access. Côte d'Ivoire spent 9 years proving households would pay, then let private investors fund the expansion. After building a track record showing 94.5% collection rates, they packaged household payments into bonds and raised $200M from private investors, without adding to government debt. This is what conservative financial innovation looks like.

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.