Kigali, June 11, 2025 – As part of its efforts to help close the agricultural innovation gap across Africa for good, the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) and the Government of Rwanda, through the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI), are co-hosting the 2ND Edition of the African Conference on Agricultural Technology (ACAT 2025) under the theme “NextGen Ag-Tech Solutions for Africa’s Farmers” ongoing at the Kigali Convention Centre.
The objective is to explore key Ag-Tech solutions tailored to the needs of African smallholder farmers.
The ACAT 2025 is an African conference aimed to highlight the persistent barriers farmers face in accessing innovative technologies and deepen discussions around these obstacles with the aim to increase policy-level commitment at both national and continental levels to drive adoption and agricultural transformation.
Target
The African Conference on Agricultural Technology brought together over 800 delegates from across the world to explore Ag-Tech Solutions for African Farmers through plenary sessions, live demos and exhibitions from local and global partners including policymakers, researchers, farmers and innovators to help shape the future of agriculture through cutting-edge technology and inclusive solutions.
Calls
Speaking at the conference, Prime Minister of the Republic of Rwanda and Special Guest of Honor for the conference, H.E. Dr. Edouard Ngirente emphasized that Africa needs greater investment in agricultural technology now and not tomorrow.
According to the Prime Minister, the future of Africa’s Agriculture depends on strong – supportive policies and access to finance.
“Technology is not just about tools and platforms. It is about people. It is about a farmer in a rural village using a mobile phone to check crop prices. It is about a young innovator developing a drone to monitor pests. It is about a continent that believes in its capacity to feed itself and thrive through Ag-Tech Solutions.
“it’s time to move beyond discussions and forge practical partnerships that deliver scalable solutions to smallholder farmers; the backbone of Africa’s food systems” he said.
Goodwill Ambassador for the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) and the Former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, H.E Goodluck Jonathan believes that no single country in Africa can transform agriculture alone.
According to the Former President, Africa needs cross-border collaboration to drive agricultural transformation across the continent.
“This is the time to act; our central banks must quickly come out with a model to help our local and national farmers have access to low percentage loans.
“Africa stands at a historic crossroads, on one road lies the continued struggle with food insecurity; on the other, a bold vision Africa powered by innovation and transformative investment across our continent.
“For far too long, agricultural investment in Africa has been sporadic and donor-dependent. This must change, we have to invest in our farmers, especially women and youth. They are the backbone of our food systems” he said.
Chair, AATF Board of Trustees, Prof. Aggrey Ambali emphasized that ACAT 2025 is about re-energizing and helping tackle Africa’s agricultural challenges.
According to the Board Chairman, the conference was to unpack and answer many critical questions, including the big one: What does it take to move from talk to action?
“We know that cutting-edge work in such areas as digital farming and biotechnology is already showing promise in enhancing productivity, reducing post-harvest losses and empowering farmers.
“The ongoing debates on youth in agriculture in Africa must begin to concretize into actionable models and we are here to reaffirm the shared belief that Africa’s fertile lands hold the key to feeding not only the continent but a significant portion of the world” he said.
Looking ahead
As the ACAT 2025 conference continues, one message rings clear: the time for action is now. Africa holds 60% of the world’s uncultivated arable land and a dynamic young population and if leveraged through tech and collaboration, can fuel a global agricultural revolution.
“Our policies and programs in Africa should be smallholder farmer centered that provides them with the necessary resources, information and networks essential for sustainable Agriculture because a lot of our farmers in Ghana and across Africa lack access to basic innovative technologies among others.
“That is why in Ghana the government has introduced a flagship initiative called Feed Ghana Programme (FGP) aimed to modernize the agricultural sector, boost food production, create jobs and reduce reliance on food imports” said Deputy Minister for Education, Hon. Dr. Clement Apaak, Republic of Ghana.
SOURCE: Dailyagricnews
