1-3 December Addis Ababa, African Union Headquarters

Theme: "Shaping Agricultural Policy for Africa’s Future: Innovation, Climate-Smart Practices, and Digital Transformation for Sustainable Development."

What: The African Union Commission through the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is organizing the inaugural African Union Conference on Digital Agriculture under the theme "Shaping Agricultural Policy for Africa’s Future: Innovation, Climate-Smart Practices, and Digital Transformation for Sustainable Development".

The conference deliberates on various cross-cutting thematic areas including- Digital Extension Services, Agri-Tech Innovations, Market Access  and  Value Chains, Climate Smart Agriculture, Policy and Regulation, Data Management and Privacy.

When:          1^st – 3^rd December 2025

Time:            09H00-17H00

Where:        Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (African Union Headquarters).   

Registration link: https://accreditation.au.int/en/form/digital-agriculture

Objective:

The overarching objective of the Conference is to accelerate the adoption and utilization of digital technologies in Africa's agriculture sector to enhance productivity, sustainability, and resilience.

Specific objectives of the conference:

• To facilitate knowledge sharing and learning among stakeholders on the latest trends, innovations, and best practices in digital agriculture.
• To showcase successful digital agriculture initiatives and case studies from across Africa and beyond.
• To identify policy recommendations and strategies to create an enabling environment for the adoption and scaling of digital technologies in agriculture.
• To foster partnerships and collaboration among governments, private sector companies, research institutions, and development organizations to drive digital innovation in agriculture.
• To empower smallholder farmers and rural communities by providing them with access to information, markets, and digital tools.

Expected outcomes

The Inaugural African Union Digital Agriculture Conference aims to:

• Generate actionable insights and recommendations for policymakers, development practitioners, and other stakeholders.
• Foster collaboration and partnerships to drive digital innovation in agriculture.
• Empower farmers and rural communities through access to digital tools and information.
• Showcase successful digital agriculture initiatives and inspire further innovation and investment in the sector.

Context:

In 2020 the AU Executive Council decided that AU departments develop, under the Policy and Regulation Initiative for Digital Africa (PRIDA), continental sector strategies and plans and Agriculture was identified as a priority sector. PRIDA has specific goals, including connectivity, political legislation, Internet governance, and the inclusion of ICT in other sectors.

As such the African Union Commission through the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment developed the Digital Agriculture Strategy (DAS) which was adopted by the Executive Council in February 2024 “to foster universally accessible and affordable broadband across the continent to unlock future benefits of internet-based services.”

In line with the AU Agenda 2063 “the Africa We Want”, the DAS for Africa built on existing initiatives and frameworks such as the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA), and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the African Union Financial Institutions (AUFIs), to support the development of a Digital Single Market (DSM) for Africa, as part of the integration priorities of the African Union. The Smart Africa Initiative has set the creation of a Digital Single Market in Africa as its strategic vision.

The Agenda 2063 of the AU “for the Africa we want” contains aspirations which include goals that recognize the importance of ICT and well-educated citizens for inclusive growth and sustainable development

Participants:

The Inaugural AU Digital Agriculture Conference will be bring together government officials and policymakers, agricultural researchers and scientists, technology innovators and startups, farmers and farmer organizations, agribusinesses and value chain actors, development practitioners and NGOs, academia and research institutions, and donors and investors.

For further information, please contact:

Dr. Janet Edeme – Head of Division, Rural Development Ag Head of Agriculture and Food Security Division  Directorate (ARD) African Union Commission Email: EdemeJ@africanunion.org

Mukulia Kennedy Ayason; Policy Officer; Rural Infrastructure and Marketing, African Union Commission Email Ayasonm@africanunion.org

For media inquiries, please contact:

Mr.  Molalet Tsedeke, Information and Communications Directorate; AU Commission Tel: 0911-630631; Email: molalett@africanunion.org