Africa and the Pacific: concrete, inspiring partnerships

PACIFIC (PIFON-COLEAD): “Strengthening the resilience of the agri-food sector in the Pacific Islands” (a new series)

The Pacific Islands Farmers’ Organisations Network (PIFON) and COLEAD are initiating a series of roundtables on “Building Resilience: Strengthening the Agro-processing Sector in the Pacific Islands”. These roundtables aim to highlight inspiring companies in the Pacific region that have excelled in value addition. Join the first webinar on Wednesday 28 February 2024 from 8.00 to 9.30am FJT (UTC+12). To register, please use the link below:

I would like to register for the session

Agriculture is an important source of livelihoods and income for the Pacific Islands, mainly through exports. Adding value to primary agricultural products opens up new opportunities in domestic markets, increases income for those in the value chain and creates employment. It also increases shelf-life, improves nutrition and food security, and reduces post-harvest losses, food waste and dependence on food imports.

This new series of roundtables will focus on value addition to traditional Pacific staple crops such as breadfruit, taro, cassava and sweet potato, as well as national value chains. It will showcase different agri-food processing initiatives, ranging from small-scale cottage industries to larger commercial exports, and provide a platform for sharing knowledge, experiences and best practices in the private sector. Insights from scientific, technical, policy and financial partners will also be included.

Further details of the first Roundtable, including the programme, will be announced shortly. This series is the first collaboration between PIFON and COLEAD. Stay tuned for future activities via the organisers’ websites and social media channels.

AFRICA: 17th PAFO-COLEAD session on Wednesday 21 February “The potential of African regional markets” 

The theme “The potential of African regional markets: SME and smallholder success stories” will be explored in the 17th Innovation Series Session on Wednesday 21 February, 12:00-14:00 UTC / 13:00-15:00 CET. Register using the link below to gain insights from African agri-food entrepreneurs and experts:

I would like to register for the session

Since their launch in 2020 by COLEAD and the Pan-African Farmers’ Organisation (PAFO), these innovation sessions have become a vibrant platform for information sharing, networking and exploring new business opportunities. The Agrinnovators online platform, created at the request of participants and partners, continues the dialogue and consolidates all session-related information. Visit the company profile section to read inspiring stories, watch recordings of previous sessions and network in the forum.

Join us on agrinnovators.org to discuss and network

More details about the next Innovation Session, including the programme, will be available soon on Agrinnovators.org. Stay tuned!

The PIFON-COLEAD and PAFO-COLEAD sessions are organised as part of the FFM+ programme funded by the European Union and the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States.