Platform for African – European Partnership in Agricultural Research for Development

Monday, June 29, 2026

Agribusiness, Agro-Processing & Food Value Chains

27 June 2026. The Women in Geopolitics Debate Series webinar, focused on the theme "Agribusiness, Agro-Processing & Food Value Chains", examining why Africa—despite possessing some of the world's richest agricultural resources—continues to rely heavily on food imports. 

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The discussion explored whether the continent's food insecurity stems primarily from insufficient agricultural production or from deeper structural constraints such as weak market linkages, limited access to finance, inadequate infrastructure, fragmented regional value chains, and policy shortcomings. 

Rather than concentrating solely on farming, the webinar emphasized the need to transform entire agrifood systems by strengthening agro-processing, investment, logistics, technology adoption, and intra-African trade so that agriculture becomes a driver of industrialization, employment, and economic sovereignty. 

The session formed part of the Women in Geopolitics Debate Series, organized by Leading Women of Africa (LWA), which seeks to highlight women's leadership in strategic sectors shaping Africa's future.

  • The webinar brought together a panel of senior leaders and practitioners from across the African agribusiness ecosystem to discuss practical pathways for increasing agricultural competitiveness and reducing dependence on imported food. 
  • Speakers represented expertise in agricultural policy, agribusiness investment, agro-processing, food value chains, entrepreneurship, and regional market development, contributing perspectives on improving farmer access to finance, strengthening processing industries, expanding regional trade, and creating inclusive value chains that benefit women and youth. 
  • The organizers presented the event as an interactive policy dialogue aimed at connecting policymakers, investors, entrepreneurs, researchers, and development partners around a shared vision of building a more resilient, food-secure, and economically competitive Africa. While the announcement highlights a "distinguished panel," the publicly accessible event page does not list the speakers by name; instead, they were presented in an embedded event graphic that is not machine-readable in the available online version.

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