{"id":7209,"date":"2025-09-17T12:04:16","date_gmt":"2025-09-17T12:04:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fci4africa.eu\/?p=7209"},"modified":"2025-09-18T06:20:00","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T06:20:00","slug":"fci4africa-at-the-africa-food-systems-forum-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fci4africa.eu\/sw\/fci4africa-at-the-africa-food-systems-forum-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"FCI4AFRICA at the Africa Food Systems Forum 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

The FCI4Africa project proudly participated in the Africa Food Systems (AFS) Forum 2025<\/strong><\/a>, held from 31 August to 5 September<\/strong> in Dakar<\/strong>, Senegal, as part of the broader Food Convergence Innovation (FCI) Network of Networks<\/strong>. This dynamic EU-funded and co-funded network unites like-minded projects that share a common mission: transforming Africa\u2019s food systems through innovation, collaboration, and sustainability.<\/p>\n

Joining forces with FoodSafety4Africa<\/strong><\/a> and INCiTiS-FOOD<\/strong><\/a>, FCI4Africa helped highlight how collaborative research and digital innovation are shaping Africa\u2019s agri-food future, while empowering youth to drive meaningful change. This year\u2019s Summit theme, \u201cAfrica\u2019s Youth: Leading Collaboration, Innovation, and the Implementation of Agri-Food Systems Transformation\u201d<\/em>, resonated strongly with FCI4Africa\u2019s mission to build resilient, equitable, and nutritious food systems across the continent<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"\"Showcasing Resilient Agro-Ecosystems<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ahead of the Summit, the FCI4Africa team visited one of the project\u2019s Use Case sites, a living example of a resilient agro-ecosystem. The site integrates poultry farming with crop cultivation of lemon, pepper, mango, okra, and maize. Supported by a solar-powered irrigation system and a screen house, the system embodies FCI4Africa\u2019s vision of advancing both quantity and quality in sustainable food production.<\/p>\n

Strengthening the FCI Concept<\/strong><\/p>\n

During the Summit, FCI4Africa, represented by the Project Manager Modupe Banwo<\/strong> (IITA<\/a>) and other project partners, hosted the side event \u201cAll FCI Convening Event: Showcasing the Food Convergence Innovation Concept\u201d.<\/em> The session highlighted the core pillars of the FCI approach, designed to strengthen collaboration across sister initiatives within the FCI Network of Networks.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Dr. Miezah Kwofie<\/strong> (McGill University<\/a>) opened with an overview of the FCI concept, laying the groundwork for cross-sectoral transformation. Dr. Benjamin Emmanuel<\/strong> (UniBwM<\/a> and AGLOBE<\/a>) and Dr. Alejandro Ortega-Beltran<\/strong> (IITA) shared thematic insights from their respective projects. Youth engagement, knowledge exchange, and inter-project collaboration emerged as key drivers for building inclusive and future-ready food systems.<\/p>\n

The discussion was moderated by Professor Fadel Ndiame<\/strong> (FSTS<\/a>) and featured a distinguished panel including Dr. Titilayo Falade<\/strong>, Dr. Miezah Kwofie<\/strong>, Dr. Emmanuel Benjamin<\/strong>, Dr. Rose Omari<\/strong>, Dr. Adama Neya<\/strong>, Mr. Tobi Durotoye<\/strong>, Mr. Emmanuel Kyengo<\/strong>, and Mr. Noel Mulinganya<\/strong>. Each speaker provided valuable perspectives on enhancing project integration, innovation, and impact across Africa\u2019s diverse agri-food landscape.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Adding to this momentum, Dr. Simeon Ehui<\/strong>, Director General of IITA, delivered a powerful keynote and joined the panel, reaffirming IITA\u2019s deep commitment to collaborative innovation for food systems transformation.<\/p>\n

Driving Engagement and Collaboration<\/strong><\/p>\n

Throughout the Summit, the FCI Network of Networks exhibition booth attracted strong interest from researchers, policymakers, and potential collaborators. Stakeholders had the chance to learn about the different initiatives under the Network and explore opportunities for synergy and partnership.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Summit not only amplified FCI4Africa\u2019s outreach but also served as a strategic milestone for the FCI Network\u2014reinforcing inter-project collaboration and paving the way for scalable, unified actions to transform Africa\u2019s food systems.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This article was authored by IITA and edited by reframe.food. All images are provided by IITA.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FCI4Africa, FoodSafety4Africa and INCiTiS-FOOD showcased collaborative research and digital innovation at the Africa Food Systems Summit 2025 in Dakar.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7214,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":68,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[87,86,81,82,85],"class_list":["post-7209","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-africa-food-systems-forum-2025","tag-fci-network-of-networks","tag-fci4africa","tag-foodsafety4africa","tag-incitis-food"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fci4africa.eu\/sw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7209","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fci4africa.eu\/sw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fci4africa.eu\/sw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fci4africa.eu\/sw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fci4africa.eu\/sw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7209"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fci4africa.eu\/sw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7209\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fci4africa.eu\/sw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7214"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fci4africa.eu\/sw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7209"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fci4africa.eu\/sw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7209"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fci4africa.eu\/sw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7209"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}