IFPRI at Africa Food Systems Forum 2025

30 August 2025, Africa: The Africa Food Systems Forum 2025 (AFSF) will convene in Dakar, Senegal, from August 31 – September 5, 2025, under the theme Africa’s Youth: Leading Collaboration, Innovation and Implementation of Agri-Food Systems Transformation.

IFPRI’s delegation at AFSF 2025—including Director General and senior researchers—will participate in plenary sessions, high-level panels, side and special events as part of the wider CGIAR delegation at AFSF.

To engage with IFPRI experts at AFSF or request comments/interviews, please contact:  Charlotte Hebebrand, C.Hebebrand@cgiar.org, (Dakar); Sokhna Seck, S.S.Seck@cgiar.org (Dakar); Evgeniya Anisimova, e.anisimova@cgiar.org (remote) 

CGIAR-wide media contacts:  Atayi Opaluwah, A.Opaluwah@cgiar.org (Dakar); James Pursey, press@cgiar.org (remote)

IFPRI delegation at AFSF

Name	Areas of expertise
Johan Swinnen – Director General	Agricultural and food policies, finance for food systems transformation, governance and political economy, trade, global value chains and standards.
Steven Were Omamo – Director, Development Strategies and Governance (DSG); Director for Africa	African food systems governance, CAADP Agenda, policy strategy, institutional capacity.
Claudia Ringler – Director, Natural Resources and Resilience	Climate adaptation, irrigation, water and energy systems, resilience and equity.
Charlotte Hebebrand – Director, Communications and Public Affaires	Food and agricultural policy, plant nutrition, international trade
Kibrom Abay – Senior Research Fellow	Agricultural transformation, tackling youth unemployment in Africa, urbanization, food and nutrition security, policy evaluation.
Jawoo Koo – Senior Research Fellow	AI, machine learning, spatial data science, digital agriculture, climate-smart food systems, crop modeling.
Jef Leroy – Senior Research Fellow	Maternal and child nutrition, food environments, program evaluation.
Khalid Siddig – Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI Sudan Program Lead	Food security in fragile and conflict-affected areas, economywide modeling, sustainability. Food security constraints in Sudan.
Fousseini Traore – Senior Research Fellow	International Trade, African Continental Free Trade Area, rural energy, capacity building in African institutions.
John M. Ulimwengu – Senior Research Fellow	Food systems mapping, resilience analysis, strategic planning in Africa, CAADP Agenda.

IFPRI engagements at AFSF

Date	Session	Time & Location	IFPRI Speaker(s)
Sun, Aug 31	From Research to Impact: Aligning CGIAR and TAAT Innovation Pathways with CAADP	09:30–12:00 | Thematic Hall	Charlotte Hebebrand
Mon, Sept 1	African Food Systems Year in Review – Holding ourselves accountable (Launch of the Africa Agriculture Status Report)	15:00 – 17:00 | Main Hall	John M. Ulimwengu
Tue, Sept 2	Country-Owned Financial Intelligence and Food Systems Financing Strategies (Launch of Africa Report on External Development Financial Flows to Food Systems – IFAD, IFPRI, AKADEMIYA2063)	14:30 – 16:00 | Thematic Hall	John M. Ulimwengu, Johan Swinnen (panel)
	School Meals – Transforming Local Food Systems	15:00 – 16:00 | Senegal Pavilion	Claudia Ringler
	Parliamentarians’ Forum	16:30 – 18:00 | Oval Room	John M. Ulimwengu
Wed, Sept 3	Launch of IFPRI’s 2025 Global Food Policy Report	08:30 – 10:00 | Knowledge Hub, Stage 1, CICAD	Johan Swinnen; Steven Were Omamo; Claudia Ringler
	Celebrating 50 Years of Impact – IFPRI and the Future of African Food Systems (Reception to follow)	15:30 – 17:30 | Hall F, CICAD	Johan Swinnen; Kibrom Abay; Fousseini Traore; Claudia Ringler; Jef Leroy; Khalid Siddig; Steven Were Omamo; Charlotte Hebebrand
Thu, Sept 4	Can AI Empower Youth Futures?	11:00 – 11:30 | Hall E – Exhibition Hall – Arbre à Palabres & Culinary Village	Jawoo Koo

Other topics for comments/interviews with IFPRI experts at AFSF: 

• Finance for food systems outlook in light of recent ODA cuts, incl. outlook for more finance from African countries (Johan Swinnen, Steven Were Omamo)
• What’s new about the new CAADP agenda and questions about implementation? (Steven Were Omamo, John Ulimwengu)
• How is Africa faring in terms of international trade, recent tariffs imposed by the US, and how are the African Continental Free Trade Area negotiations going? (Fousseini Traore)
• What role for policies for addressing high unemployment among the youth (Kibrom Abay)
• Water security, energy transitions in agriculture and climate resilience in Africa (Claudia Ringler)
• Fragile and conflict-affected countries/regions in Africa (Khalid Siddig)
• Understanding and addressing malnutrition in Africa (Jef Leroy)
• Role of AI, special data science, and digital innovations for food systems transformation (Jawoo Koo)
• Fertilizer usage and other plant nutrition topics (Charlotte Hebebrand)

For more information about the IFPRI sessions at AFSF 2025, visit: https://www.ifpri.org/event/africa-food-systems-forum-2025-summit/

All CGIAR events at AFSF 2025: https://events.cgiar.org/cgiarafricafoodsystemsforum202

The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition. IFPRI’s strategic research aims to identify and analyze alternative international and country-led strategies and policies for meeting food and nutrition needs in low- and middle-income countries, with particular emphasis on poor and vulnerable groups in those countries, inclusive development, and sustainability. It is a research center of CGIAR, a worldwide partnership engaged in agricultural research for development. In 2025, IFPRI celebrates its 50th Anniversary. www.ifpri.org 

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