Photo credit: U.S. Wheat Associates.
U.S. Wheat Associates is expanding market development efforts across Sub-Saharan Africa as the region's rapid population growth, urbanization and changing consumer diets create long-term opportunities for U.S. wheat exports.
The organization promotes U.S. wheat in 42 countries across the region through its Cape Town, South Africa, office, focusing on technical education, customer training and relationship building with millers, bakers and food manufacturers.
Those efforts contributed to strong results during the 2025-26 marketing year. U.S. wheat exports to Sub-Saharan Africa increased 138% compared with the previous year, making it one of the strongest year-over-year gains among USW's international regions. Sales to Nigeria, one of the world's largest wheat importers, rose approximately 95%.
The gains followed years of market development activities, including the first USW Sub-Saharan Africa Wheat Buyers Conference held in Cape Town in April 2025. The event connected U.S. wheat producers with regional buyers and helped generate direct wheat sales.
USW sees the region as a long-term growth market because wheat consumption continues to increase as incomes rise and urban populations expand. Countries including Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal and Ghana are among those with significant growth potential for wheat-based foods such as bread, pasta and baked goods.
The Cape Town office serves as the hub for USW activities throughout the region. During the past year, the staff conducted more than 14 technical and educational programs for millers, bakers and food manufacturers.
Despite the export gains, the market remains highly competitive. Buyers throughout Sub-Saharan Africa often have access to lower-priced wheat from suppliers including Russia, Ukraine, Canada, the European Union and Baltic countries. USW continues to emphasize the value of U.S. wheat by demonstrating how its six wheat classes can improve flour performance, product quality and production consistency.
One example came through baking seminars held in late 2024 for millers and bakers from Senegal and Côte d'Ivoire. The programs demonstrated blends containing Hard Red Spring and Hard Red Winter wheat for French baguette production, helping participants evaluate the performance of U.S. wheat in a staple bakery product. The training contributed to increased purchases of U.S. wheat in both countries during the 2025-26 marketing year.
Regional Director Chad Weigand oversees USW market development activities across Sub-Saharan Africa. He joined the organization in 2009 as a market analyst before serving in Mexico City as assistant regional director. He became assistant regional director for Sub-Saharan Africa in 2018 and regional director in 2020.
USW plans to continue expanding technical education programs during the coming year. A partnership with the Northern Crops Institute will provide specialized training on pasta production, a food category experiencing annual growth of about 5% to 7% in many regional markets. Additional programs will focus on wheat procurement, contract management and the use of Soft Red Winter and Soft White wheat in confectionery products, pastries and other baked goods.
The organization views continued investment in customer education as essential to strengthening demand in a region where population growth is projected to outpace every other major world region through the middle of the century. As wheat consumption expands alongside urbanization and rising incomes, USW aims to position U.S. wheat as a reliable, high-quality option for millers and food manufacturers across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Source: U.S. Wheat Associates, "U.S. Wheat Sees Major Growth Opportunities, Continued Challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa"