Young Ghanaian entrepreneurs participating in the Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF) in Kigali, Rwanda, say they are confident they will secure investments and partnerships at the continental event to help them scale up their businesses.
Young Ghanaian entrepreneurs participating in the Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF) in Kigali, Rwanda, say they are confident they will secure investments and partnerships at the continental event to help them scale up their businesses.
The entrepreneurs, drawn from different areas of the agrifood sector, say the Forum provides a rare opportunity to meet investors, policymakers, development partners and fellow innovators from across the continent.
AFSF is the world’s premier forum for African agriculture and food systems, bringing together stakeholders to take practical action and share lessons that will move African food systems forward.
The 20th edition of the Forum, scheduled for September 1–4, 2026, at the Kigali Convention Centre, is being held under the theme “Investing in Africa’s Agri-Food Systems: Nourishing Nations, Growing Jobs, Building Resilience.”
Organisers say more than 5,000 stakeholders from over 50 countries are expected to participate. The Forum has identified investment and finance, food security and nutrition, climate resilience, youth and digital innovation, and trade and markets as key focus areas.
Robben Asare, Chief Executive Officer of Aspassion Farm and the 2025 National Best Youth Farmer, said the gathering was helping young African entrepreneurs exchange ideas and identify opportunities for collaboration.
“We have interacted with youth from a lot of countries with different ideas on how Africa can be more food-sufficient,” Asare said. “Coming here to know what other youth are doing is a good opportunity to network and partner where necessary. We will have good links to work with going forward.”
Asare is also seeking support for an innovation that could turn agricultural waste into an additional source of income for farmers while helping address farmer-herder conflicts.
2025 National Best Youth Farmer Robben Asare
He said his company is developing a way to process rice straw into animal feed, rather than allowing farmers to burn the residue after harvest.
“In Ghana, we farm rice a lot. But farmers burn the straw in preparation for the next season, thus posing a risk to the climate,” he said.
The proposed solution would process rice waste into animal feed, creating an additional income stream for farmers while providing feed for livestock.
“I want to help the farmer make extra income, and also so it serves as feed to the animals,” Asare said, adding that he was engaging potential partners at the Forum in the hope of securing support for the initiative.
For Abdul-Wahab Ibrahim, Director of Delimush Limited, the priority is finding an investor who understands the company’s long-term vision.
Delimush operates in the plant-based food space, transforming mushrooms and vegetables into nutritious, shelf-stable foods.
“One of the key things I want to achieve is getting a destiny helper on the journey. Getting an investor who understands what we do and follows us on the journey,” Ibrahim said.
He said he was also looking to connect with businesses working on similar solutions and learn from experiences across the continent.
“My key take-home will be having as much network as possible because the whole of Africa is here,” he said. “And I want to send home knowledge on how to build a resilient food system.”
Kodu Technology, another Ghanaian venture represented at the Forum, is taking a different approach to agricultural waste by converting plantain and banana fibres into biodegradable sanitary pads.
Dr Aadam Longi of Kodu Technology said the company was using the Forum to build relationships within the food and waste ecosystem and to seek funding to expand its operations.
“We are looking forward to networking and learning. Meeting people in the waste and food space. We are looking forward to coming here to raise some money to support our businesses,” he said.
Longi said the presence of young entrepreneurs from across Africa had already resulted in new connections.
“We have met some companies doing our kind of work. We have made some connections which will go a long way to help us,” he said.
Mercy Sugri Akaluti, Co-Founder of Naturalist Superfood, is meanwhile looking beyond Ghana for markets for the company’s food products, including baobab and tigernut powders.
Mercy Sugri of Nationalist Superfood
“We want to find market linkages for our products in other African countries. We want to meet investors to raise funding for our business,” she said.
For Akaluti, the Forum is therefore not only about raising capital but also expanding the reach of Ghanaian food products across the continent.
Millicent Adoboe of Achievers Food also called for stronger partnerships between the public sector, development organisations and private investors to help young businesses move beyond the early stages of development.
She advocated for increased public-private and development partnerships to unlock appropriate financing for youth-led initiatives.
