From June 23 to 24, 2025, the Finance Center for South-South Cooperation (FCSSC), in collaboration with the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Academy of Global Food Economics and Policy (AGFEP), and the Beijing Jingwa Agricultural S&T Innovation Center, successfully held the 2025 China-Africa Agricultural Technology Industry Cooperation Forum in Nairobi, Kenya. With the theme of "Open Sharing: From Opportunities to Actions," this forum focuses on China-Africa cooperation in agricultural modernization. It aims to promote the deep integration of China's advanced agricultural technology with Africa's rich resources, injecting momentum into the sustainable transformation of agriculture in Africa.
The opening ceremony was hosted by Cheng Cheng, Director of the Asia Division, Partnerships Department, AGRA. Welcome remarks were delivered by several distinguished guests, including Prof. Fan Shenggen, Dean of AGFEP, China Agricultural University; H.E. Guo Haiyan, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People's Republic of China to the Republic of Kenya; H.E. Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, Special Envoy on Food Systems for the African Union; Mr. Fu Qiang, Deputy District Mayor of Pinggu District, Beijing; Prof. Hamadi Boga, Vice President of AGRA; Mr. Fan Xuebin, Director of Beijing Jingwa Agricultural S&T Innovation Center; and Chen Fali, President of Nanjing Agricultural University. H.E. Alfred Musemuna, Ambassador of Zambia to Kenya, also attended the event.
The main forum focuses on three key perspectives: South-South cooperation, China's perspective, and Africa's perspective. It aims to provide solutions and ideas for the sustainable development of African agriculture, covering everything from academic research to technology introduction and local implementation. Dr. Cheng Enjiang, Senior Advisor of FCSSC, delivered a keynote speech from the South-South perspective and moderated a round-table discussion in the China’s perspective segment. The forum also included four parallel sessions, inviting over 20 policymakers, multinational investors, technology pioneers, and youth leaders for in-depth dialogues on policy coordination, capital empowerment, technology breakthroughs, and talent development. Dr. Michel Zhou, Deputy Director General of FCSSC, participated in the policy dialogue on China-Africa agricultural cooperation, highlighting that the key to innovation is to strengthen the policy support for the countries involved. This includes providing robust guarantees in infrastructure, financial support, and the inclusive development of small and medium-sized enterprises.
The forum also organized field visits to three representative sites, including the Sanctuary Farm Naivasha, the KenMeat, and the Tatu City Industrial Park. These visits allowed participants to directly experience typical agricultural scenarios, understand market conditions and real demands in Africa. During the visit, Deputy Director General of FCSSC Joyce Zhang and Michel Zhou joined private meeting with the management of Tatu City Industrial Park regarding potential future collaborations.
The forum attracted over 200 participants from government sectors, international organizations, research institutions, universities, and enterprises from China and Africa. It provided a platform for cooperation and exchange in areas such as agricultural technology research and development, result transformation, investment expansion, industrial collaboration, and talent cultivation, further promoting the construction of a modern agricultural industrial ecosystem between China and Africa.
