AU Launches Inaugural Digital Agriculture Conference To Transform Africa’s Food Security And Agri-Food Systems
The African Union (AU) held its first-ever Digital Agriculture Conference (DAC) from 1-3 December 2025 at the AU Headquarters, ushering in a new era of agri-tech innovation aimed at boosting food security and sustainable development across the continent. Under the theme “Shaping Agricultural Policy for Africa’s Future: Innovation, Climate-Smart Practices, and Digital Transformation for Sustainable Development,” this high-level gathering brought together policymakers, researchers, and private sector actors to chart a bold course for Africa’s agri-food systems transformation.
The conference firmly aligned its vision with the AU Agenda 2063, the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), and the Kampala CAADP Declaration on Agrifood Systems Transformation. These frameworks highlight agriculture as critical to Africa’s economic renaissance, food security, and job creation. They also stress embracing digital innovation as a fundamental catalyst to enable sustainable agricultural practices. Moreover, the conference recalled existing continental policies such as the African Union Digital Transformation Strategy (2020–2030) and the African Union Digital Agriculture Strategy (2023-2030), alongside global commitments like the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
H.E. Amb. Selma Malika Haddadi, Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission, emphasised the strategic role of technology during the opening session. She stated, “Policy is the foundation, innovation is the engine, and digital tools are the accelerators for building knowledge-driven farming systems and ensuring economic and social inclusion.” She urged African governments, development partners, private sectors, and research bodies to collaborate in not only adopting digital agriculture but in leading its future shaping across the continent.
The urgency for digital transformation was echoed by H.E. Moses Vilakati, Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment (ARBE). Noting challenges such as climate change, land degradation and limited market access, he asserted that digital agriculture is a necessity, not a choice. He reinforced the continental ambition that by 2030, 45% of Africa’s agrifood production should come from within the continent—a goal strongly supported by the CAADP Kampala Declaration.
Ethiopia’s commitment shone through H.E Dr. Efa Muleta Boru, State Minister of Agriculture, who described the conference as a continental turning point where ideas turn into commitments and collective action. She highlighted that Africa must build robust, sustainable systems over isolated transformation moments. She stressed the importance of nurturing a vibrant ecosystem for Agri-Tech innovation, protecting agricultural data as a sovereign strategic asset, and ensuring digital tools are accessible and affordable for farmers.
The conference adopted a comprehensive communique with ambitious outcomes, including:
• Establishing a Biennial AU Digital Agriculture Conference as a key continental platform for knowledge exchange and partnerships.
• Creating a continental repository of best practices, case studies, technologies, and policy tools to aid digital agriculture adoption.
• Forming a Multistakeholder Working Group to monitor the implementation of digital innovations and strategies.
• Embedding digital solutions throughout critical agricultural areas such as soil mapping, seed systems, extension services, value chain integration, and climate-smart agriculture.
• Launching a digital entrepreneurship hub to leverage Africa’s youthful demographic dividend, fuel agribusiness jobs, and develop rural economies.
• Developing interoperable data ecosystems to enhance policymaking, monitoring, and institutional accountability.
The digital agriculture movement resonates strongly with Zimbabwe’s ongoing efforts to boost its agri-food system resilience through technology. For instance, in 2024, the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement launched a Digital Soil Mapping initiative to aid farmers in optimising fertiliser use and increasing productivity, in alignment with Zimbabwe’s National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1). This initiative reflects the vision embraced at the AU DAC, illustrating how digital transformation in agriculture can empower local farmers, especially women and youth, while tackling climate-related challenges.
Moreover, Zimbabwean women farmers in the Mashonaland East province have embraced mobile-based extension services, connecting them directly with agronomists for timely advice and climate-smart practices. This digital inclusion facilitates more informed decisions, boosts crop resilience and supports livelihoods, embodying the inclusive economic growth targets of NDS1.
The AU’s DAC has thus laid a foundational platform for the future, recognising digital agriculture as pivotal in achieving not only food security but also socio-economic empowerment—particularly for women and youth who constitute Africa’s majority and vital agricultural workforce. As Africa embraces digital innovation, governments, private sectors, and stakeholders must collaborate to ensure that these technologies are accessible, affordable, and aligned with sustainable development goals.
Farmers across the continent now stand at the cusp of a remarkable transformation where digital tools will enhance productivity, reduce risks from climate change, and unlock new market opportunities. The call is clear: together, Africa must lead the digital agriculture revolution to secure a sustainable and prosperous future for all.
For further enquiries, readers can contact Dr Janet Edeme, Head of Agriculture and Food Security Division at the African Union Commission (Email: [email protected]) or Mr Molalet Tsedeke from the Information and Communications Directorate (Email: [email protected]).
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