ATPS Network

30/07/2026

How do we make sure advanced agricultural tech doesn’t leave smallholder farmers behind?
In our latest episode of the African Deep Dive Podcast, we’re diving into Kenya’s PeMOST project- a game-changing initiative that uses human intermediaries to bridge the digital divide.
By translating complex geospatial AI and real-time weather data into simple, actionable advice via traditional voice calls, E-Extension officers are helping farmers fight crop-destroying pests like the tomato leaf miner, without relying on expensive smartphones or unnecessary chemicals.
The bottom line? High-tech tools need human connection to truly empower vulnerable communities.

Tap the link in our bio or check out the links below to listen now! 👇
▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLgTvWx9f7M&list=PLHhVJzapw0Q2wFHIXbjyrmbOsiYHD2e2E
🎵 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7sHVuw5wg5qFZzuFF98Drf?si=zKo4_IFIQm-CeyAucu6rrg

IDRC / CRDI ICIPE - International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology Kumasi Hive AI4D Africa

The African Deep Dive Podcast · Episode

27/07/2026

How do you know if a country is actually keeping its climate promises? For years, that question had no clear answer across Sub-Sahara Africa. Now it does.
We're proud that the African Development Bank Group Bank's Annual Report has spotlighted ATPS's project: Building the Capacity of Selected Sub-Sahara African Countries to Effectively Measure Progress in their NDC Implementation Using Tracking Tools and Indexes. https://accf.afdb.org/en/publications/annual-reports/annual-report-2025?mc_cid=4b2d970df6&mc_eid=216a8ae70d

The standout milestone? Our NDC Tracking Tool atps-ndcindex.africa a first-of-its-kind index scoring countries across Governance, Finance, Mitigation, Adaptation, and Monitoring, Reporting & Verification (MRV), turning vague climate pledges into hard, comparable data.
Why it matters:
✅ 12 SSA countries trained and equipped to track their own NDC progress
✅ Real, country-level data replacing guesswork
✅ Healthy competition driving stronger climate ambition
✅ A tool policymakers can act on, not just report on
This isn't just a tool. It's accountability, built by Africans, for Africa's climate future.
Full project details & outputs: atpsnet.org/atps-afdb-accf-ddw-ndc-project Pan African Climate Justice Alliance African Development Bank Group

Sub-Saharan

Stay updated with our quarterly newsletter showcasing the latest news, stories, project updates and event listings related to the Africa Climate Change Fund

21/07/2026

Join the African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS) and Artificial Intelligence for Development Africa (AI4D Africa) for a timely conversation on catalytic pathways for scaling AI-driven agricultural innovations for transformative food security in Africa.
We'll explore how AI can unlock productivity, resilience, and inclusion for smallholder farmers across the continent, and what it takes to move promising pilots into real, lasting impact at scale.
Featured speakers:
Prof. Nicholas Ozor — Executive Director, ATPS, and Lead Principal Investigator, AI4AFS Project
Alexander Onyia — International expertise in market-driven scaling
Prof. Eric Tacho — Technical AI & User-Centric Design Practitioner, KNUST, Ghana
Friday, July 24, 2026
1:00 – 2:00 PM (Africa/Lagos)
Join the conversation here: https://meet.google.com/wth-gyjy-ihu?hs=224
Whether you're a researcher, policymaker, technologist, or development practitioner, this session will offer practical insight into scaling AI for agriculture in Africa. Don't miss it!
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IDRC / CRDI AI4D AfricaICIPE - International Centre of Insect Physiology and EcologyKumasi Hive

17/07/2026

Across Africa, extension officers and farmer cooperatives are the trusted link between new ideas and the fields where they matter. The ATPS is bringing together leading experts to explore how AI tools, from pest-diagnosis apps to voice-based advice bots, can support (not replace!) these frontline networks.
Join our free virtual webinar:
When: July 21, 2026, 1:00–2:30 PM GMT+1
Where: Online via Google Meet — open to everyone
Hear from top experts in agricultural extension, AI innovation, and policy, and be part of the Q&A.
Join the conversation free: https://meet.google.com/xak-iuts-ddo?hs=224
Questions? Email [email protected] or call +254 20 271 4092

IDRC / CRDI AI4D Africa ICIPE - International Centre of Insect Physiology and EcologyKumasi Hive Mastercard African Development Bank Group African Export Import Bank - Afreximbank

10/07/2026

Can AI really save Africa's harvests, or are we leaving smallholder farmers behind?

30–40% of food grown in sub-Saharan Africa is lost before it even reaches a plate. Meanwhile, women make up 70–80% of the agricultural workforce but have the least access to the digital tools reshaping farming.

Issue 30 of the ATPS Technopolicy Newsletter is out, and it's a MUST- READ for anyone who cares about Africa's food future:

- AI in the field: How cashew farmers in Fetentaa, Ghana, are using AI to scan leaves and catch pests before they spread

- Climate resilience in action: Inside the SCALE Phase 2 workshop equipping farmers in Podor, Senegal

- Innovator Spotlight: Meet Chepkemoi Chepkwony, the founder using AI + blockchain to fight deepfakes and protect Africa's digital trust

- Prof. Nicholas Ozor inducted into UNN's inaugural Hall of Honor

- Nigeria's $500M research fund — and how ATPS policy advocacy helped shape it

This is what happens when research meets the real world.

Read the full issue:https://atpsnet.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/ATPS-NEWSLETTER-ISSUE-NO.30-FINAL.pdf

Tell us: what's the biggest barrier to tech adoption for farmers in your community? Drop your thoughts below

Tag someone working in AgTech or STI policy who needs to see this



IDRC / CRDI ICIPE - International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology MastercardKumasi Hive African Development Bank Group Pan African Climate Justice Alliance AI4D Africa

08/07/2026

For years, Mrs. Chioma, a pepper farmer in Enugu State, relied on guesswork to fight crop diseases. Like many rural women farmers, she was trapped in a cycle of low yields and exploitation by middlemen.
That changed when she joined the AI4NYP+ project, part of the wider AI4AFS+ initiative under the Artificial Intelligence for Development (AI4D) Programme, led by the African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS).
Unlike previous interventions that left disappointment, the AI4NYP+ team did something different: They listened.

The Solution:
Instead of a complex cloud app, they co-created a lightweight, solar-powered disease detection system that works offline. Mrs Chioma didn't just use the tool; she helped build it, labelling images with local-dialect names for diseases such as Nkeroaka (leaf coil).

The Impact:
1) From 2 to 15 Plots: With accurate, early disease detection, Chioma switched to organic fertilisers and scaled her farm significantly.

2) Economic Empowerment: She used her increased profits to purchase a brand-new bus to manage logistics and transport.

3) Community Leadership: She is now the leader of a registered cooperative, helping other women negotiate fair prices and avoid exploitative middlemen.

This is what responsible, inclusive AI looks like. It’s not just about smart algorithms; it’s about tools that respect local knowledge and put power back in the hands of the farmers.

Watch Mrs. Chioma’s inspiring journey in the video below.
IDRC / CRDI ICIPE - International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology Kumasi Hive

30/06/2026

She lost half her harvest to a label she couldn't read. Now she speaks to her farm - in Twi
Ataa Christiana grows cashews in Brodi, Ghana. When her seeds began turning black one season, she waited five days for an extension officer who never came. Out of options, she mixed a pesticide herself, but the instructions were in English, a language she doesn't read. The dosage was wrong, and she lost over half her harvest.
It's a story shared by countless smallholder farmers across Africa, where the ratio of extension officers to farmers can exceed 1:3,000, and where critical agricultural advice is too often locked behind a language barrier.
Today, Ataa diagnoses crop problems herself in Twi, her native language. She snaps a photo of an affected plant, and an AI-powered app, trained on over 13,000 real images from Ghana's cocoa and cashew-growing regions, tells her what's wrong and what to do before flowering even begins.
This is what inclusive AI looks like: built by African researchers, for African farmers, in the languages they actually speak.
Watch Ataa's story below.
Developed under the AI4AFS+ project by ATPS Grantee Dr Patrick Mensah, supported by IDRC and FCDO's AI4D Programme.
Learn more about the project https://atpsnet.org/harvesting-confidence-bridging-the-digital-divide-with-inclusive-agricultural-ai/
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IDRC / CRDI ICIPE - International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology Kumasi Hive

22/06/2026

Are you a creative and passionate communications professional looking to make an impact across Africa?
The African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS) is seeking to recruit a Communications and Outreach Assistant to join its Secretariat in Nairobi, Kenya. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to the dissemination of knowledge on science, technology, and innovation, support digital communications, manage outreach activities, and help amplify the impact of ATPS programmes across the continent.
View the full vacancy announcement and application details here:
https://atpsnet.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Communications-and-Outreach-Assistant-Vacancy-Announcement.pdf
Apply before the deadline indicated in the vacancy announcement.
Please share widely within your networks.

18/06/2026

Across the continent, innovation is meeting impact. From empowering smallholder farmers with AI to advancing climate action through data-driven policies, we are turning bold ideas into real, equitable change.
Bridging the gap between technology, policy, and people. Driving equitable tech solutions for agriculture by centering local knowledge. Amplifying grassroots voices in research. Advancing climate action to ensure no one is left behind.
At the ATPS, we believe in a future where technology serves everyone. Watch the full video to see how we are shaping a sustainable, inclusive future for Africa.

08/06/2026

Mrs Chioma, a pepper farmer in Enugu State, Nigeria, spent years trapped in a cycle of low yields, expensive chemical treatments, and exploitation by middlemen.
Then came AI, but not the kind you'd expect.
Under Prof. Chinenye Anyadike's leadership (APWEN), the AI4NYP+ project brought responsible, community-driven AI to rural Nigeria. Instead of cloud-dependent apps requiring a stable internet, they developed:
- A solar-powered, offline disease-detection system running on Raspberry Pi
- Training in local dialects led by peer "super farmers"
- AI model (YOLOv11n) trained on indigenous disease names like "Nkeroaka" (leaf coil) and "Ebola" (leaf blight)
Mrs Chioma wasn't just a user; she became a co-creator, labelling thousands of pepper leaf images and integrating her traditional knowledge into the technology.
The results? Expanded her farming from 2 to 15 plots, transitioned to organic fertilisers, cutting costs & improving soil health and purchased a bus for logistics, and formed a farmers' cooperative that now negotiates unified pricing
This is what gender-responsive, disability-inclusive, community-owned AI looks like. The project's upcoming SMS alert system will ensure even farmers without smartphones receive timely disease warnings.
The future of African agriculture isn't just smart, it's inclusive, resilient, and profoundly human.
Read the full story: https://atpsnet.org/from-soil-to-scale-ai-nigeria-agriculture/


IDRC / CRDI ICIPE - International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology Kumasi Hive

Read how the AI4NYP+ project brought responsible, community-driven AI to Nigeria’s pepper farming communities, empowering Mrs Chioma to scale her harvest