The Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF) is gearing up for its most ambitious summit yet as it celebrates two decades of driving agricultural transformation across the continent. The 20th edition of the annual gathering will take place in Kigali, Rwanda, from 31 August to 4 September 2026, bringing together over 4,500 stakeholders from across Africa’s agri-food systems community to chart a new course for food security and economic resilience.

The summit, titled “Investing in Africa’s Agri-Food Systems: Nourishing Nations, Growing Jobs, Building Resilience,” represents a critical moment for the continent as it confronts mounting food security challenges alongside unprecedented opportunities for agricultural innovation and investment. With roughly one-third of sub-Saharan Africans still suffering from hunger and Africa spending approximately USD 70 billion annually on food imports despite possessing 60 percent of the world’s uncultivated land, the summit’s timing could not be more significant.

From its origins as an investment conference founded by Yara International in Oslo in 2006, the AFSF has evolved into the world’s premier forum for African agriculture and food systems. The transformation reflects a broader shift in how the continent approaches food security, moving beyond agriculture alone to encompass nutrition, trade, infrastructure, digital technologies, and governance. Since its rebranding as the Africa Food Systems Forum in 2022, following the World Food Systems Summit, attendance has nearly tripled, bringing annual participation to nearly 6,000 delegates representing 104 countries.

The 2026 summit will address Africa’s rapidly shifting policy landscape, particularly the implementation of the Kampala Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) and the rollout of the New African Financial Architecture (NAFA). These frameworks represent the continent’s strategic commitment to mobilizing domestic capital, reducing reliance on foreign funding, and delivering measurable results in food systems transformation. Forum participants will be expected to explore innovative financing mechanisms and explore ways to unlock more sustainable investment to implement CAADP across six strategic objectives: food and nutrition security, resilience, sustainable production, inclusive livelihoods, financing, and governance.

Rwanda’s role as host country extends far beyond providing a venue. Under the leadership of President Paul Kagame, Rwanda has positioned itself as a living laboratory for food systems innovation, advancing climate-smart agriculture, youth-led agribusiness, nutrition-sensitive programming, and private sector investment at scale. Through its ambitious Presidential Strategic Plan for Agriculture (PSTA 5) for 2024 to 2029, Rwanda has demonstrated how policy, partnerships, and people can align to deliver measurable impact. The country’s track record of hosting the AFS Summits every other year since 2018 has reinforced its commitment to continental food systems transformation.

The forum will feature several key mechanisms designed to catalyse investment and innovation. High-level officials, including heads of state, government ministers, parliamentarians, and industry leaders, are expected to participate in strategic discussions on CAADP implementation and investment opportunities. A dedicated deals development and investment facilitation platform will enable African start-ups and MSMEs to pitch their agri-food systems innovations to hundreds of investors and capital providers, with countries presenting large-scale investment opportunities including their legacy programmes.

Youth engagement remains central to the summit’s agenda, reflecting Africa’s demographic reality as a predominantly young continent facing the challenge of creating decent jobs for 375 million young people expected to enter the labour force by 2030. The forum will launch a global call for investment in youth-led agri-food start-ups and MSMEs, providing a unique platform for Young African Innovators to showcase solutions and technologies. Best projects will be recognised through the AFSF competitions and awards programmes, including the GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition, Africa Food Prize, and Women Agripreneurs of the Year Awards.

The AFSF Partners Group, comprising 36 leading players in African agri-food sectors, is developing the summit’s programme with a commitment to putting farmers, women, and youth at the helm of the movement to transform food systems across the continent. This multi-stakeholder approach draws together governments, development finance institutions, multilateral organisations, research bodies, philanthropic foundations, and private sector leaders whose sustained commitment enables high-level dialogue, mobilises investment, strengthens policy alignment, and accelerates implementation across Africa’s food systems.

The summit’s interactive and innovative engagement platforms have become hallmarks of the AFSF experience. Participants will have access to plenaries, high-level closed discussions, open debates, pitching sessions, culinary demonstrations, masterclasses, B2B engagements, knowledge hubs, and TED talks, alongside the busy Agri-food Expo and Exhibition grounds where companies can exhibit and sell the latest technologies and innovative solutions. This practical approach to promoting business, enhancing company visibility, facilitating trade, and catalysing new partnerships addresses the fragmentation that has historically hindered Africa’s food systems development.

The forum’s track record of impact over twenty years is substantial. The AFSF has recorded 54,000 delegates in attendance across summits, organised more than 3,000 sessions, and facilitated over USD 200 billion in investment asks presented from countries and SMEs. More than 300 SMEs have been supported to pitch to investors, whilst over 30 countries have presented bankable programmes at the forum. Youth participation has reached 50 percent of delegates and 15 percent of speakers, and the forum’s partner base has grown from 3 partners in early years to 50 partners by 2025.

As AFSF enters its third decade, the 2026 summit represents both a celebration of progress and a reckoning with the urgency of the challenges ahead. The forum’s commitment to moving from dialogue to delivery, grounded in accountability mechanisms that track commitments and measure implementation, offers a model for how African institutions can drive systemic change. With investment in Africa’s food systems sector estimated at less than 10 percent of countries’ GDP despite representing over 16 percent of global GDP, the case for accelerated action has never been clearer. The stage is set for Rwanda to host a summit that could reshape the trajectory of food systems transformation across Africa.