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