- Heads of state are among the first high-level speakers confirmed for the Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF), which is set to take place in Senegal from August 31 to September 5, 2025, according to Woodrow Communications.
According to a press release from Woodrow Communications, heads of state, CEOs, and agri-food champions will convene in Dakar to drive health, jobs, and climate-resilient investment across Africa.
AFSF Managing Director Amath Pathé stated in the release that the Forum is committed to ensuring the event is inclusive and welcomes high-profile speakers who will share their insights and experiences. "We encourage youth across Senegal, West Africa, and the entire continent to join us, learn from these leaders, and share their own stories. Together, we can drive meaningful change and innovation in our food systems," Amath said.
This year's forum marks a pivotal moment following the African Union's 100 billion USD Kampala CAADP initiative to transform agriculture. The event will focus on youth-led solutions addressing malnutrition, unemployment, and climate challenges while promoting investment in agriculture, technology, and food sovereignty.
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The Forum's core objective, as stated in the release, is to scale up Africa's food systems and agricultural transformation agenda through agenda setting, evidence-based policy reform, investment facilitation and finance, knowledge sharing and learning, and partnership development and coordination.
It will convene a powerful coalition of world leaders, CEOs, policymakers, financiers, and youth innovators to shape the future of Africa's food systems. Over 6,000 delegates from more than 90 countries will gather under the theme: "Africa's Youth: Leading Collaboration, Innovation and Transformation of Food Systems."
According to the release, the forum brings together public and private sector leaders, policymakers, researchers, and development partners, farmers, and youth champions. The Forum's agenda will be structured around five core thematic pillars, each encompassing a diverse set of issues, innovations, and strategies.
Among the topics to be explored are Health and Nutrition, Jobs for Youth and Women, Financing Transformation, Technology and Innovation, and Climate Resilience. The AFSF will also feature a Youth Innovation Competition, awarding seed funding to scalable ventures, and B2B investor matchmaking, connecting over 100 SMEs with financiers like the AfDB and IFC. Since 2010, the Forum has been an annual convening platform that has expanded to include investment facilities and technical assistance through its thematic platforms.
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The AFSF has been fully rebranded to expand its scope to include a greater emphasis on all areas of food systems, such as agricultural production, nutrition, gender and youth, climate resilience, market and trade, infrastructure and energy, integrated approaches, government engagement, reporting and accountability, and mobilizing the private sector. The Africa Food Systems Forum is the world's largest forum on agriculture and food systems, bringing together stakeholders including policymakers, farmers, the private sector, youth, and women to take practical action and share lessons that will move African food systems transformation forward.
