Over 5,000 delegates from 50 countries have gathered in Kigali for the 2026 African Food Systems Forum (AFSF) to mobilize $100 billion in public and private capital for continental agriculture by 2035.
Hosted under the theme "Investing in Africa's Agri-Food Systems: Nourishing Nations, Growing Jobs, Building Resilience," the summit runs from August 31 to September 4 in Kigali, Rwanda, according to the official website of the forum.
High-level leaders, including Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Director-General Qu Dongyu, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) President Alvaro Lario, and AGRA President Alice Ruhweza, are attending sessions, roundtables and panels to focus on financing, food security, climate, trade and innovation.
The ambition to mobilize $100 billion by 2035 aligns directly with the African Union’s updated 2026–2035 roadmap for the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP). Although agriculture generates nearly a quarter of sub-Saharan Africa's total GDP, the sector historically suffers from severe underinvestment, capturing only a marginal fraction of commercial bank lending and global climate finance.
To bridge this massive funding gap, the forum relies on blended finance mechanisms, sovereign wealth funds, and institutional investors. The forum is hosting a “Deal Room” that connects project developers with investors, with selected companies and organizations pitching initiatives in agriculture, logistics, finance, agritech, nutrition and clean energy.
At last year's summit in Dakar, 11 countries presented a combined $18.5 billion in national food systems investment opportunities. Six of those came through Country Legacy Programmes, a scheme running since 2023 that helps governments convert food policy into something an investor can actually read and act on.
Simultaneously, delegates are weighing strategies to leverage the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to accelerate cross-border food trade. Enhancing regional agricultural corridors is seen as vital for the frictionless movement of key commodities, such as grains, oilseeds, and livestock, which are vulnerable to international market disruptions.
With acute droughts, erratic rainfall, and severe soil degradation cutting into crop production, discussions emphasized climate-smart tools like agroecology, resilient seed technologies, and advanced water management.
Seeking to tap into the world's youngest population, continental strategists are positioning agribusiness not as backbreaking manual labor, but as a dynamic tech sector spanning e-commerce, mechanized advisory services, and digital value addition. Building upon recommendations from the 2025 Dakar Summit, delegates are actively prioritizing youth access to farmland, early-stage capital, and technical capacity.
