Ten African countries have pledged nearly US$9 million to the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), increasing their contributions to support rural development, smallholder farmers and stronger food systems across the continent. Burundi, Chad, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan and Zimbabwe announced their commitments to IFAD’s fourteenth replenishment cycle, known as IFAD14, ...

African civil society organisations are calling for a shift away from aid dependency towards greater investment in commercial agriculture, arguing that smallholder farmers, women and youth-led agribusinesses should be treated as viable investment opportunities. The call was made during the 2026 Africa Food Systems Forum in Kigali, Rwanda, where CSO representatives discussed ways to strengthen ...

Africa’s agricultural sector must accelerate efforts to become more resilient to global supply disruptions, rising input costs and climate-related shocks, as recent instability in international trade has exposed the continent’s continued dependence on external agricultural inputs. The disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has already created significant consequences for farmers across Africa, with ...

Rwanda is brewing a new strategy for its tea sector, supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The strategy prioritizes premium-quality tea production, with the aim of boosting output and improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers facing growing challenges from the climate crisis, rising fertilizer costs, and competition from regional ...

Photo credit:  Food Systems Transformation through School Feeding Programme, University of Rwanda Rwanda provides school meals to almost 4.8 million students – one of the country’s most ambitious investments in education, nutrition, and child wellbeing. However, as school feeding expands nationwide, attention is increasingly turning to determining how can these meals become more nutritious, more ...

The Africa Food Systems Forum has officially announced the launch of the AFS Forum 2026 Summit, a landmark event celebrating 20 years of driving food systems transformation across Africa. Set to take place in Kigali, Rwanda**, the summit will convene policymakers, agribusiness leaders, investors, researchers, and development partners to explore solutions for strengthening Africa’s agri-food ...

The Africa Food Systems Forum has officially launched the AFS Forum 2026 Summit, marking 20 years of advancing food systems transformation across Africa. The upcoming summit will bring together policymakers, agricultural experts, investors, entrepreneurs and development partners to explore strategies for strengthening Africa’s agri-food sector and improving food security across the continent. Theme Focuses on ...

For decades, Africa’s agribusiness narrative has been shaped largely by discussions around food aid, productivity gaps, and the vulnerability of smallholder farmers. While these challenges are real, they often mask a deeper structural constraint holding back the sector: weak and unreliable market institutions. According to Bharat Kulkarni, Africa’s challenge is not simply low production, but ...

By Brandon Moss  At the base of Musanze’s volcanic highlands, a quiet but consequential shift is underway. Across Rwanda, a new generation of young agripreneurs is reimagining agriculture—not as a subsistence activity, but as a technology-enabled engine for growth, resilience, and climate adaptation. By fusing data, sustainability, and entrepreneurship, they are redefining how food is ...

15% Meet Traceability Requirements • Agriculture remains the backbone of East Africa’s economy, contributing over 32% of regional GDP and employing more than 80% of the population (East African Community, n.d). The European Union absorbs over 60% of East African Community coffee exports (SEI, 2024). With the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and Corporate Sustainability Due ...