New research says invasive species of weeds, insects and worms are costing Africa more than $3.5tn (£2.5tn) every year.
Researchers based in Ghana, Kenya, Britain and Switzerland have highlighted the catastrophic effects of species introduced by human activity.
Nigeria, where losses are estimated at a trillion dollars a year, is much the worst affected country.
The majority of the costs are from weeding - work primarily carried out by women and children - but damage caused by insects is estimated at almost $40bn.
The research authors noted that the findings may be underestimating the true cost of invasive species to Africa's agriculture - as they did not consider the costs of herbicides for disease and pest control
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