Government of Kenya and AATF to host inaugural African Conference on Agricultural Technologies (ACAT)
The African Conference on Agricultural Technologies (ACAT) advocates for agricultural technology transfer, uptake of innovations, and practical solutions to address challenges facing the agricultural sector in Africa.
ACAT will highlight the centrality of Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) in fostering agricultural transformation in Africa.
[Nairobi, Kenya, July 25, 2023]: The Government of Kenya, through the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, and AATF, have today announced that the inaugural African Conference on Agricultural Technology (ACAT) will take place in Nairobi, Kenya from 30 October 2023 to 3 November 2023. Kenya will be the first country to host ACAT.
“As a country, we are pleased to co-host the inaugural ACAT 2023 and are honored to welcome to Nairobi the global, regional, and local community to this important forum and look forward to discussing actionable solutions to the challenges facing the sector that will also drive change and foster growth,” said, Mr. Phillip Harsama, Kenya’s Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development. “
“The conference comes at an opportune time when the continent is struggling to feed its people and climate change is posing serious challenges to our collective prosperity,” he added.
ACAT will serve as the premier platform for advancing African agricultural technology transfer and advocating for the uptake of innovations. The 2023 Conference will put a spotlight on emerging innovations within the agriculture technology sector. It will bring together government representatives, industry thought leaders, policymakers, technical experts, private institutions, farmers, women, and youth across the globe to discuss and define practical actions and solutions to the challenges of technology access and use faced in the agriculture sector.
H.E. Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, former President Federal Republic of Nigeria and AATF Ambassador for Agriculture Technology in Africa expressed support for the conference, noting that agriculture plays a pivotal role in Africa’s economic agenda, contributing significantly to employment, food security, and economic growth.
“ACAT will provide an opportunity for stakeholders to “walk the talk” and move beyond discussions about new technologies to embracing and adopting them,” said the former President.
The AATF Executive Director, Dr. Canisius Kanangire, noted that ACAT will highlight the centrality of STI in fostering agricultural transformation, especially in addressing key challenges facing African farmers.
“Often the role of STI in agriculture and especially innovative technologies has not been emphasized. ACAT is the opportunity to fully showcase and celebrate STI’s contribution towards enhancing food security and livelihoods to encourage dialogue and innovation,” said Dr. Kanangire, adding that ACAT will intensify efforts to forge partnerships with like-minded organizations working in the agriculture technology sector and provide the opportunity for stakeholders to share information on new and emerging agricultural technologies.
“AATF has been at the forefront of facilitating access, development, and commercialization of agricultural technologies and this conference will help to put a spotlight on the numerous game-changing innovations that have been developed and highlight opportunities to address the multiple stressors facing the sector due to population growth, climate change and other factors,” He pointed out.
Dr. Kanangire further stated that ACAT will provide a unique platform to discuss barriers to technology transfer and propose strategies for transforming existing technologies into super Next Generation technologies capable of enhancing productivity and effectively addressing the challenges faced by African farmers.
AATF has dedicated itself to promoting innovative agricultural technology transfers that address farmer productivity constraints, working with partners across the continent to access 24 innovative and cutting-edge agricultural technologies worth over US$650 million spread across 24 countries and reaching 4.8 million smallholder farmers with new interventions during the last five years.
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For further information please contact:
George Achia, Communications Officer, East and Southern Africa, AATF; g.achia@aatf-africa.org, +254 785334163
Alex Abutu, Communications Officer, West and Central Africa, AATF; a.abutu@aatf-africa.org, +234 806 870 1960
Mr. Richard Ndegwa, Research Secretary, State Department for Crop Development, Ministry of Agriculture & Livestock Development; rndegwa64@gmail.com, +254 722-883 835.
Josephine Mbeo, Director, Public Communication, Ministry of Agriculture & Livestock Development; jombeo14@gmail.com, +254 721 796 884.
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About Ministry of Agriculture & Livestock Development:
The mandate of the Ministry is to create an enabling environment for agricultural development and ensure food and nutrition security through increased productivity and outputs of agricultural value chains, improved market access, and trade. The Ministry is also charged with the responsibility of improving the livelihoods of rural Kenyans by transforming the sector to be competitive, commercially oriented, and responsive to the economic needs of the country. The Ministry comprises two State Departments, namely: Crop Development and Livestock Development. It is currently implementing the Agricultural Sector Transformation and Growth Strategy (ASTGS 2019-2029) which is spearheaded by the Agriculture Transformation Office (ATO).
About ACAT:
ACAT is the premier platform for advancing African agriculture technology transfer and advocating for the uptake of innovations. The Conference will provide a fitting platform to highlight the broad range of concerns associated with getting innovative technologies into the hands of farmers. It will also provide an opportunity for depth discussions and consensus building on barriers to technology development and transfer and generate higher policy-level interest at the continental level to resolve the identified challenges.
About AATF
AATF provides farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) with practical technology solutions to overcome farm productivity constraints. Founded in 2003, AATF is driven by the vision of a prosperous, resilient, food and nutrition-secure Africa, where smallholder farmers’ livelihoods are transformed through agricultural innovations.
Active in 24 countries in East, Southern, and West Africa, over the past two decades we have emerged as one of the continent’s foremost technology transfer facilitators, trusted by both private and public sector institutions. AATF works beyond the product development segment to help commercialise and scale sustainable, demand-based technologies designed to address specific agricultural challenges. Active across the whole technology lifecycle, we positively transform farmers’ livelihoods and lives. Above all, we believe in providing the ‘freedom to innovate’. AATF’s proven expertise as a programmes and partnership facilitator, weaving together a broad range of actors for technology transfer, is unparalleled in Africa.
For more information, visit: https://www.aatf-africa.org
