African Agriculture Ministers, World Food Prize Laureates, Agripreneurs and Sector Leaders Convene for High-Level Event in Nairobi to Advance Continent's Food Systems

WHAT: African farmers, food system leaders, young agripreneurs, government officials, World Food Prize Laureates, agricultural researchers and business innovators will convene for a high-level event to discuss how to navigate the defining challenge of feeding a continent whose population will represent more than one in four people on the planet by 2050.

This year's DialogueNEXT, themed "Born to Feed the Future," is hosted by the World Food Prize Foundation in Nairobi, Kenya - the third and final stop in its global journey tracing the legacy of Dr. Norman E. Borlaug - following Mexico (2024) and India (2025).

The event is open to journalists, who will have direct access to senior figures across African agriculture, policy, science, innovation and business - all in one room, on one day. African ministers will speak at a press conference during the event.

The event will also feature the presentation of three major awards:
The Norman Borlaug Medallion
The 2026 Borlaug Field Award
The 2026 Inspiring the Next Generation Award

WHEN: Tuesday, June 30, 2026
(The press conference will be held 10:15 - 10:45 local time at the venue.)

Journalists also have the opportunity to join field visits on Wednesday, July 1 at the International Livestock Research Institute and International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology, among other organizations.

These visits will showcase African agricultural innovations in action firsthand. Contact Harvey Presence ([email protected]) to register or inquire (spaces are limited).

WHERE: Safari Park Hotel & Casino, Kasarani, Off Thika Road, P.O. Box 45038, Nairobi 00100 Kenya. In-person registration for media is open here.

WHO: The event will feature several eminent leaders, including:

• Hon. Akinwumi Adesina | 2017 World Food Prize Laureate and Member, World Food Prize Foundation Council of Advisors
• Terese Shadrach Akpem | 2024 Top Agri-food Pioneer and Founder, Vet Konect
• Dennis Beesigamukama | 2024 Borlaug Field Award Recipient and Postdoctoral Fellow, International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology
• Appolinaire Djikeng | 2024 Top Agri-food Pioneer and Director General, International Livestock Research Institute
• Mashal Husain | President, World Food Prize Foundation
• Agnes Kalibata | Founder, C4Impact Advisory Group
• Debra Mallowah | Head of Africa, Bayer Crop Science
• Joyce Maru | Regional Director for Africa, International Potato Center
• Sandra Cristina Kothe Milach | Chief Scientist, CGIAR
• Sarah Msambira | Director of Agriculture, Small Farm Cities Africa
• Jehiel Oliver | 2024 Top Agri-food Pioneer and Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Hello Tractor
• Eric Pohlman | 2015 Borlaug Field Award Recipient and Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder, One Acre Fund
• Alice Ruhweza | President, AGRA
• Lindiwe Majele Sibanda | Chair of Council, National University of Science and Technology, Zimbabwe
• Víctor Villalobos | Member, World Food Prize Foundation Council of Advisors
• Lucy Wangari | Founder, Onion Doctor Limited and Member, Global Farmer Network

WHY: Africa stands at an inflection point. By 2050, more than one in four people on the planet will be African - a demographic reality that makes the continent's ability to feed itself and contribute to global food security one of the most consequential challenges of our time. That challenge is coming into sharper focus. With El Niño now developing and forecast to intensify into the southern hemisphere summer, there is a high likelihood of below-normal rainfall across much of the Greater Horn of Africa during the critical June through September growing season - a potential threat to food production, underscoring the urgency of conversations in Nairobi.

Yet Africa also holds extraordinary potential: the world's largest reserve of uncultivated arable land, a rapidly growing young workforce and a new generation of farmers, innovators and entrepreneurs already transforming food systems from the ground up. DialogueNEXT in Africa arrives at a moment when African voices must be central to the global conversation on hunger. The insights and calls to action emerging from Nairobi will set the stage for critical discussions at the annual Norman E. Borlaug International Dialogue, taking place October 20-22, 2026, in Des Moines, Iowa, USA.