Africa is often seen as a “dark continent” yet it has the potential to be a continent of “milk and honey.” The objectives of this presentation are to describe the dairy industry in Africa, highlight the challenges faced, and propose how they may be met. The human population of Africa is just over 1 billion. The 8 leading “dairy” countries in Africa together have approximately 37 million dairy cows. Average milk production varies from 0.12 to 6.45 tons/cow/year, and annual per capita consumption ranges from 8 to 241 kg milk equivalent (ME). Comparative figures for the United States are 9.2 million dairy cows, 9.44 tons/cow/year and 259 kg ME/capita. Growing urbanization and westernization are increasing the demand for milk and dairy products in Africa. This is further supported by a rapidly expanding supermarket industry. There is good potential for even more growth in demand. Africa is currently a net-importer (ca 6 million tonnes/year) of dairy products. Cows, though, are abundant in Africa and there is great scope to increase milk production from the continent’s cow population. Growth in dairy farming will also contribute to improved livelihood for many African people. However, serious challenges in respect of infrastructure, animal husbandry practices, genetic material, animal nutrition and cow health have to be met if Africa’s dairy potential is to be realized. Africa has the intellectual potential but needs to learn and apply suitable technical knowledge and skills. The internet, cell phone, and tablet have revolutionized communication and can play a significant role in the transfer of this knowledge and skills to the emerging African dairy farmer. Politics still remain a stumbling block in some African countries. Two priorities for the dairy industry in Africa are infrastructure creation (from milk collection to final products) and the transfer of appropriate technical knowledge and skills to create successful dairy farmers, whether small or big. The latter priority, especially, poses a challenging opportunity for first-world dairy organizations, such as ADSA, and its members.