The AECF

18/09/2026

Is there still reason to be optimistic about African agriculture?

At AECF, we see it every day in the entrepreneurs building businesses, creating markets and finding new ways to make agriculture more productive and resilient.

In this episode of the AECF Podcast, Fredrick Kiio reflects on where the opportunities lie and why the future of African agriculture is worth believing in.

▶️ Listen to the full conversation on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTSmG5kJL8A

10/09/2026

🎙️ The AECF Podcast, episode 3, is live!

In our third episode, we host Fredrick Kiio, AECF’s Associate Director of Agribusiness, for a thought-provoking conversation on Africa’s agricultural potential, productivity, post-production losses and the opportunities ahead.

Fred shares some fascinating lessons from a career in agriculture, including why he says, “Agriculture has educated me.”

▶️ Watch the full conversation on YouTube: https://youtu.be/wTSmG5kJL8A

Africa has enormous agricultural potential, but are we producing en...

09/09/2026

What will it take to get more private capital moving through Africa’s agri-food systems?

At last week’s in Kigali, AECF joined conversations on reimagining private sector investment in agri-food systems and strengthening investment in Africa’s seed sector.

AECF’s Mat Hague shared our approach of working with anchor businesses within value chains to crowd in financing for smaller SMEs, while highlighting the importance of looking beyond seed companies to the markets for the crops they serve.

The message was clear: unlocking investment requires looking at the whole value chain, from farmers and inputs to markets and offtakers.

A good conversation to take forward.

08/09/2026

03/09/2026

At The Africa Food Systems Forum - AGRF in Kigali, AECF and partners AWARD Fellowships, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and AGRA-Sustainably Growing Africa’s Food Systems. held a conversation on women’s leadership in food systems.

The side event, “Beyond Recognition: Investing in Women as Food Systems Leaders,” featured women leaders sharing what is working, the barriers, and what it will take to scale solutions already making a difference.

What came through was that women are already leading change across Africa’s food systems. The bigger question is whether the financing, markets, partnerships, and support are keeping pace.

The commitment from the discussion was to move beyond recognition and invest in women’s leadership, enterprise and influence.

Because women are not only part of the transformation of Africa’s food systems. They are shaping it.

03/09/2026

At the The Africa Food Systems Forum - AGRF 2026 in Kigali, AECF, together with Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), AWARD Fellowships and AGRA-Sustainably Growing Africa’s Food Systems. is bringing women food system leaders to the centre of the conversation.

Aligned with the International Year of the Woman Farmer, our session, “Beyond Recognition: Investing in Women as Food System Leaders,” will spotlight women who are farming, building businesses, driving innovation, leading research and transforming Africa’s food systems.

Through stories, solution talks and open dialogue, we will explore what is working, what needs to change, and what it takes to unlock greater investment in women’s leadership.

We look forward to a meaningful conversation on moving beyond recognition to action and investment.

More from the session in our next post.

02/09/2026

Last week, we marked the close-out of the Seeds for Impact Program (SIP 2.0) in Tanzania. 🌱

Three years of supporting seed businesses, strengthening the seed system, and expanding access to certified seeds.

Here’s a look at some of the moments from the day, including reflections from our partners, businesses, and the Ministry of Agriculture in Tanzania.

02/09/2026

SIP 2.0 set out to strengthen Tanzania’s seed sector. Along the way, 141,016 farmers accessed certified seed, and 205,081 lives were impacted. The program also mobilized USD 939,680 in matching funds, with USD 16.4 million in development impact.

We wrapped up the program in Tanzania with the Director of Crop Development, Ministry of Agriculture, Samson Poneja, representing the Permanent Secretary, as our Guest of Honor.

A good moment to look back at the work, the people, and the businesses that made it happen.

31/08/2026

Behind every big program are the people who make it happen.

In Dodoma, we brought together the people behind three years of the Tanzania Clean Cooking Project to take stock of the program’s milestones, celebrate its achievements, and share lessons for the road ahead.

Here’s how it looked. 🎥🇹🇿

28/08/2026

TCCP Program exhibition in Dodoma. We are proud of the work the businesses are doing to scale clean cooking in Tanzania.