Agriculture remains the pivot around which the economies of countries south of the Sahara revolves. However, rapid population growth coupled with climate variability have seriously affected food security. Agriculture in the region is therefore in a dilemma as to how to feed the about one billion mouths without compromising the environment. The fascinating challenge is that while human population continues to grow, the land surface area remains the same. While productive land area also continues to dwindle, amount of water needed for agricultural production also continues to experience severe degradation. Green revolution in the mid-sixties has not benefited sub-Saharan Africa as it created more problems than benefits. Changes in cropping pattern have disturbed the harmony which existed among soil, plant, bio-life, animals, and human beings. Therefore, agricultural production in the region has not reached its potential. The yield gap between research results and farmers’ outputs continues to widen. Plantains and bananas are among Africa’s most important starchy staple food and cash crops. Nearly 30 million tons of the crop is produced yearly in Africa, mostly by smallholders and consumed locally. Per capita consumption ranges from 84 kg to over 191 kg. It provides more than 25% of food energy requirements of the population. The crop, nevertheless remains an orphan among the food crops as research funding for the crop is limited. While all other crops depend on developed high-yielding varieties for food security improvement, landraces of plantains remain resilient under the harsh conditions and provide surpluses for processing. Plantain production is calling for support to address the food insecurity in the sub-region. Developing the value chain of plantain therefore can address the food security challenges in sub-Saharan Africa.