By: Thomas Ochieng : Kenya secures the hosting rights to the inaugural African Conference on Agricultural Technology (ACAT) a premier platform for advancing African agricultural technology transfer and advocating for the uptake of innovations within the agriculture technology, to be held in Nairobi, from 30 October 2023 to 3 November 2023.

Speaking during the Launch of the Conference at a Nairobi hotel, The Permanent Secretary of Agriculture and Crop Development Kello Harsama said Kenya was greatly honored to host the first Conference on Agricultural technology given a time Kenya government is putting a lot of emphasis on agricultural advancement. “As a Ministry, we share the vision of ACAT, of ensuring that our people do not go to bed hungry by ensuring that we adapt and scale up appropriate technologies geared towards enhancing sustainable food and nutrition security which is a great concern for the government of Kenya” Said the PS.

On his part the AATF Executive Director, Dr. Canisius Kanangire, said that ACAT conference will point to the importance of science, technology and innovation (STI) in development of agricultural transformation, especially in addressing key challenges facing African farmers. “The role of STI in agriculture and especially innovative technologies has not been emphasized. ACAT is the opportunity to fully showcase and celebrate STI’s contribution towards enhancing food security and livelihoods to encourage dialogue and innovation,” said Dr. Kanangire,
The Executive Director called for close collaborations with like-minded organizations working in the agriculture technology sector and provide an opportunity for stakeholders to share information on new and emerging agricultural technologies

H.E. Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, former President Federal Republic of Nigeria and AATF Ambassador for Agriculture Technology in Africa expressed support for the conference, noting that agriculture plays a pivotal role in Africa’s economic agenda, contributing significantly to employment, food security, and economic growth.
“ACAT will provide an opportunity for stakeholders to “walk the talk” and move beyond discussions about new technologies to embracing and adopting them,” said the former President.
The Former Nigerian President stressed that AATF has been at the forefront of facilitating access, development and commercialization of agricultural technologies and this conference will help to put a spotlight on the numerous game-changing innovations that have been developed and highlight opportunities to address the multiple stressors facing the sector due to population growth, climate change and other factors

The ACAT series of conferences will provide the platform needed by stakeholders who are keen on progressing the continent’s socio-economic development, food and nutrition security through a wide array of innovative agricultural technologies, as well as serve as a platform for generating the required information necessary to resolve the barriers to access, delivery and uptake of these innovative technologies.