Rwanda to host the 20th Africa Food Systems Forum as over 5,000 participants expected

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The Organizers of the the 20th Africa Food Systems Forum that will be held in Rwanda in the next month of September-Photo Courtesy 

By Dickson Odhiambo

Rwanda to host the 20th Africa Food Systems Forum as over 5,000 participants expected

More than 5,000 African and global leaders, policymakers, investors, scientists, entrepreneurs and young innovators from over 50 countries will converge in Kigali next month for the 20th Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF), as the continent seeks to turn two decades of food-systems commitments into investment, jobs and measurable action.

Held under the theme “Investing in Africa’s Agri-Food Systems: Nourishing Nations, Growing Jobs, Building Resilience,” AFSF 2026 will convene leaders from 31st August to 5th September to address how Africa can build food systems capable of feeding a growing population while creating jobs, driving economic transformation and withstanding climate shocks.

The Forum comes at a critical moment for Africa’s food systems investment agenda. At AFSF 2025 in Senegal, six countries presented Country Legacy Programmes collectively targeting more than US$6 billion in mobilised investments for food systems transformation, youth employment and sustainable agri-food value chains.

AFSF 2025 also surfaced a pipeline of investment-ready projects, including scalable businesses led by young people and women, while its Agri-Food Investment Forum highlighted the need for blended finance, de-risking mechanisms and increased domestic resource mobilisation to unlock investment at scale.

AFSF 2026 will build on this momentum, bringing governments, development finance institutions, investors and the private sector together to identify opportunities, strengthen investment pipelines and advance implementation across Africa’s food and agriculture value chains.

The President of the Republic of Rwanda Paul Kagame will open the Forum, which marks 20 years of AFSF as Africa’s leading platforms for food and agriculture transformation.

One of the Forum's flagship moments will be the Council of the Wise, bringing together six former heads of state and government for a high-level discussion on leadership, resilience and the future of Africa's food systems. The Council will include Dr. Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan, former President of Nigeria. Dr. Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, former President Tanzania,  Mohamed Beavogui, former Prime Minister of Guinea, Mahamadou Issoufou, former President of Niger, Lionel Zinsou, former Prime Minister of Benin, Hailemariam Dessalegn, former Prime Minister of Ethiopia and Chair of the AGRA Board of Directors.

Their participation comes as African governments confront a convergence of food insecurity, climate shocks, demographic pressures, unemployment and limited access to capital - while seeking to build more productive and resilient food systems.

“Africa has the knowledge, the innovation and the entrepreneurial energy to transform how our continent produces, processes, trades and consumes food. What we need now is to match that ambition with investment and action at scale,” says Amath Pathé Sene, Managing Director of the Africa Food Systems Forum.

 

Pathe says as they mark 20 years, we are bringing leaders together in Kigali not simply to discuss the challenges before us, but to forge the partnerships, unlock the capital and advance the solutions that can nourish our nations, create jobs for our young people and build more resilient food systems for generations to come”, noted Pathe.

The wider Forum leadership will include Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, former President of the African Development Bank; Dr. Qu Dongyu, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; Dr. Alvaro Lario, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development; Alice Ruhweza, President of AGRA; Josefa Sacko, African Union Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment; and Ismahane Elouafi, Executive Managing Director of CGIAR.

Other leaders expected are Nardos Bekele Thomas, CEO of the African Union Development Agency (AUDA NEPAD); Claver Gatete, United Nations Under Secretary General and Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa; Silvia Maria Fonseca Silveira Massruha, President of Brazil’s Embrapa; and senior government officials, development finance leaders, investors, researchers and private sector executives from across Africa and beyond.

A central focus of AFSF 2026 will be how Africa moves from political commitments to investment and implementation at scale. Five priorities will anchor the following programme Investment and finance, Food security and nutrition, Climate resilience, Youth and digital innovation and Trade, markets and value chains.

The Forum will examine how governments, development finance institutions, investors and the private sector can work together to unlock greater volumes of domestic and international capital for African agriculture and food sytems.

The Forum will also feature an AFSF Deal Room, connecting African agribusinesses, entrepreneurs and innovators with investors and financial institutions to identify investment opportunities, mobilise capital and build partnerships across food and agriculture value chains.

 

Youth, entrepreneurship and innovation will be central to the 2026 Forum, with discussions examining how technology and digital innovation can expand opportunities for Africa's young population across agriculture and food value chains. The Forum will also spotlight the role of women in food production, processing, trade and household nutrition, while examining how investment and stronger markets can create more inclusive opportunities.

 

Hosted in Rwanda, AFSF 2026 will also provide a platform to showcase the country's experience in food-systems transformation and position Kigali as a meeting point for African and global leaders working on food, agriculture and investment.

 

The Forum will look ahead to major continental and global milestones, including implementation of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) and preparations for COP32 in Addis Ababa.

 

AFSF 2026 will conclude with a Food Festival celebrating food, culture and innovation, alongside a closing communique linked to the Kampala CAADP Declaration.

 

“After 20 years of progress, the question facing Africa is no longer whether transformation is possible, but whether the continent can mobilise the investment, partnerships and action required to deliver it. AFSF 2026 will bring those decisions to Kigali” noted Pathe.

 

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