Regional Consultation on Opportunity Crops in Africa

Overview

Africa is home to a rich diversity of traditional and indigenous crops that have sustained communities for generations. Yet many of these opportunity crops, including millets, sorghum, fonio, bambara groundnut and indigenous vegetables, remain under-researched, underutilized and under-invested despite their significant nutritional, economic and environmental benefits.

To support the integration of these crops into African food systems, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), is convening a Regional Consultation on Opportunity Crops in Africa, from 9 to 11 June 2026 in Accra, Ghana.

The consultation will bring together policymakers, researchers, development partners, farmers’ organizations, private sector representatives and civil society to review progress, share experiences and identify actions needed to strengthen the conservation, production, value chains and utilization of opportunity crops across the continent.

Objectives

The consultation aims to highlight the strategic role of opportunity crops in contributing to sustainable, nutrient-sensitive agrifood systems and climate-resilient agriculture in Africa by:

reviewing and sharing national and regional experiences related to the conservation, production, utilization, constraints and opportunities associated with opportunity crops;

discussing policy and institutional frameworks needed to strengthen production, value chains and utilization of opportunity crops;

developing a regional roadmap and collaborative action plan to mainstream opportunity crops within food and agricultural policies;

strengthening partnerships among governments, research institutions, the private sector and civil society to promote opportunity crops across Africa.

	DAY 1: 9 June 2026
Time	Activity	Focal Person
	Opening and Welcome
	Chair(s)/Facilitator(s):   Wole Fatunbi & Sukati Mphumuzi
09:00 – 09:30	Assistant Deputy Director-General, FAO Executive Director, FARA Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Ghana	Abebe Haile-Gabriel, FAO Aggrey Agumya, FARA Dept. Minister of Agric, MOFA Ghana
09:30 - 10:30	•         Unlocking Africa’s Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture •         A transition framework for the integration of neglected and underutilized species (NUS) in agri-food systems •         From policy to practice: scaling opportunity crops through coordinated action	Chikelu Mba [FAO] Mamid El Bilali [IADC]   Clement Adjorlolo, AUDA-NEPAD
10:30 -11:00	Coffee break
11:00 - 12:00	•         Opportunity crops for the transition of African agrifood systems •         Optimizing African ingredients and the cultural food value of opportunity crops •         Progress in the Implementation of the Africa Manifesto on Opportunity Crops/ Forgotten Foods: Implementation Status Report	Julia Sibiya (VACS) Madam Fatmata Binta (Dineonamat)   Prof. Wole Fatunbi, (FARA)
	Theme 1: Overcoming barriers: innovative approaches for opportunity crops
	Chair(s):   TBC Rapporteur(s):   TBC
12:00 - 13:00	•       From science to policy: plant health solutions for opportunity crop •       Creation of novel research development and networking in advancing agronomic practices •       Mechanization pathways for opportunity crops in smallholder systems	Abdou Tenkouano (ICIPE) Ousmane NDOYE, CORAF Joe Mzinga, ESAFF
13:00 -14:00	Lunch Break
	Theme 2: From knowledge to action: strengthening capacity and raising awareness for opportunity crops
	Chair(s):   Sukati Rapporteur(s):   All
14:00 - 15:30	•       Scaling Nutrient-Rich Crops to Combat Hunger, Malnutrition, and Climate-Driven Food Insecurity in Africa •       Awareness raising for recognizing the values of opportunity crops by all in society. •       Local producers’ capacity building in opportunity crops: integration and agroecology transition •       Development of a specialized capacity instrument for NARES and relevant institutions towards the development of forgotten foods.	Maureen Duru [The Food Bridge]     Nelson Ojijo, JKUAT   Olawunmi Benedict, [GROW West Africa]       Vincent Aduramigba, [IAR&T/OAU]
15:00 -16:00	Coffee Break
	Theme 3: Progress of regional actions in Africa on the integration of opportunity crops into agrifood systems
	Chair(s):    Wole Fatunbi Rapporteur(s):   All
16:00 - 17:00	•       Communities of practice and the importance of regional networks •       West and Central Africa States •       Eastern and Central Africa states •       Southern African States	Wole Fatunbi, FARA Ndèye Aïssatou Diop, CORAF Moses Odeke, ASARECA Batholomeu Chataika, CCARDESA
17:00 – 18:00	Poster Pitch	10 supported Early Career Researcher /Academia

 

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