African Diaspora Agrofood Forum: Innovation-driven entrepreneurship in the agrifood sector

The FAO Liaison Office in Brussels joined the 8th African Diaspora Agrofood Forum 2024, organized by The Food Bridge.  The annual forum is a gathering of African diaspora entrepreneurs, policymakers and experts in the agrifood sector, focusing on transformative development in Africa. The theme of this year's edition was Innovation-driven entrepreneurship in the agrifood sector. 

FAO Brussels Director, Raschad Al-Khafaji, participated in the opening panel discussion, which focused on displaying different initiatives that facilitate innovative agrifood entrepreneurship within the African diaspora. Al-Khafaji underlined the importance and potential of digital innovation to significantly boost agribusiness and cross-border trade in the region, particularly within the framework of the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). He explained how FAO supports countries in creating enabling environments for agrifood entrepreneurs, focusing on breaking barriers for women in terms of access to land, finance, and inputs, among others.  

Other panelists included Marie d’Huart, the CEO of Virunga Origins, a social company that collaborates with Virunga National Park in east Congo and surrounding communities to produce certified chocolate, coffee, vanilla and other goods; Bijou Tshiunza, founder of Microdev, a savings and credit cooperative with a mission to empower women in the Congo through micro-entrepreneurship, and Jeremy Knops, General Delegate of the Committee Linking Entrepreneurship-Agriculture-Development (COLEAD), a not-for-profit private sector organization that brings together a network of companies, professional organizations and experts committed to inclusive and sustainable agriculture. 

Several challenges were raised during the discussion, including product quality regulations, the high costs of packaging materials, the potential of South-South markets, and the need for data and information.  

For more information on FAO’s work with diaspora, click here.  

More information on FAO’s work on migration can be found here.  

You can find out more about FAO’s work on digital innovation for agrifood systems in Africa here. 

To learn more about FAO's work on innovation, click here.