Ethiopia to Host Africa Agricultural Policy Research Institutes Conference

Addis Ababa, October 23, 2026 (ENA) — Ethiopia will host the 13th Annual Stakeholders Conference of the Africa Network of Agricultural Policy Research Institutes (ANAPRI) from October 26-29, the organizers announced today.

The conference, organized by Africa Network of Agricultural Policy Research Institutes (ANAPRI) in partnership with Ethiopia’s Policy Studies Institute (PSI), will focus on policy, trade and industrialization pathways for building competitive and resilient agrifood economies across Africa.

Briefing the media, ANAPRI Executive Director Antony Chapoto said Africa’s agricultural transformation must go beyond increasing production to developing competitive agrifood industries, expanding regional markets, creating jobs and retaining more value from agricultural products.

“Africa’s agricultural transformation must go beyond increasing production. We must also build competitive agrifood industries, expand regional markets, create jobs and retain more value from what we produce,” he said.

The Executive Director noted that Africa had developed important agricultural strategies and commitments, but translating them into predictable, coherent policies, effective implementation and tangible results remained a challenge.

To close the gap, strong African institutions and credible local evidence are essential, he added.

The conference will address key challenges, including low agricultural productivity, high production costs and limited value addition, while examining regional trade, agrifood industrialization, technological innovation and climate resilience.

Ethiopia’s Policy Studies Institute ANAPRI Center Director, Desalegn Begna said Ethiopia had registered significant progress in agriculture in recent years and would present its achievements in wheat production and other agricultural areas as examples for other African countries. 

Research papers aimed at improving Africa’s agricultural sector would be presented during the conference, he added.

The conference will be held under the theme “Building Competitive Agrifood Economies: Policy, Trade, and Industrialization Pathways for Africa.”

It will bring together policymakers, researchers, private-sector representatives and development partners to discuss strategies for strengthening Africa’s agrifood economies.

The event will also introduce ANAPRI’s Strategic Plan for 2027–2031, which aims to strengthen policy research, institutional capacity and the translation of research into practical policy solutions.

ANAPRI is a pan-African network of 17 agricultural policy research institutions in 16 African countries, working to strengthen evidence-informed policymaking and address agricultural and food-system challenges across the continent.