Harnessing data and innovation for Africa’s agrifood transformation

15 October 2024. About 200 participants gathered virtually for the Africa regional event of the FAO Science and Innovation Forum 2024 on Harnessing Data and Locally-driven Innovation for Inclusive Sustainable Agrifood Systems Transformation in Africa. Hosted by the FAO Regional Office for Africa as part of the World Food Forum, the event highlighted the opportunities and challenges of using data to drive innovation across Africa’s agrifood systems.

• Abebe Haile-Gabriel, FAO Regional Representative for Africa "Data and digital innovations offer effective opportunities to address food security and economic growth challenges. By harnessing the power of data, we can improve productivity, make better decisions, innovate, and optimize value chains."
• Dr Getaw Tadesse, Director of the Department of Operational Analysis at Akademiya2063- Tadesse emphasized the critical role data plays in formulating policies grounded in evidence and facts. However, he raised concerns about the quality, accuracy, and tracking of data across Africa, highlighting a gap between data supply and demand. 
• Nelson Mupfugami, Director of Agricultural Statistics of Zimbabwe. 
• Christian Irakoze, co-founder of Eza Neza, an agribusiness that specialises in hydroponics and greenhouse farming in Rwanda, said his company uses data analysis throughout the business, from production to sales including sensors to collect data from the greenhouses, that feed into his business decision-making. He has been focusing on hydroponics innovation to produce strawberries for domestic and export markets.
• Daniel Annerose, CEO of Manobi Africa. His company uses data and digital platforms to organise value chains for increased agricultural production. He warned that “data will belong to those who finance the data collection” and urged African countries to invest in their own data systems to ensure sovereignty over the information that drives policy decisions.
• Bjorn-Soren Gigler, Head of Data Economy, Digital and Green Twin Transition at GIZ, highlighted the importance of creating an enabling environment for data-driven innovation. "The enabling environment is critical. GIZ has supported the development of data governance frameworks which enable effective regulation, the establishment of digital public infrastructure and capacity building to help countries better mobilize data
• Angella Ndaka, a human-technology interaction researcher at the Centre for Epistemic Justice in Kenya, brought attention to critical ethical concerns surrounding farmers’ data collection and use in agrifood systems.

This event will guide FAO’s future programmatic work, notably on data systems and digital agriculture, and open new opportunities for collaboration with partners across Africa and beyond.