Bridging Borders: 25 Partnerships forged for Climate-Resilient Maize Sector in Africa

In a continent where maize feeds millions and sustains livelihoods, innovation and collaboration are becoming as essential as rainfall. From 20 to 24 October, the Agri-Business Facility for Africa (ABF) Maize Workshop brought together 26 agripreneurs from 14 African countries at Nairobi’s International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). Over five days, participants shared experiences, explored innovative solutions, and established cross-border collaborations.

Building a Shared Vision
The workshop united innovators, policymakers, researchers, and private agribusiness companies under a single goal: making Africa’s maize sector more sustainable, inclusive, and future-ready. Opening the discussions, Linh Feldkoetter, Head of Project for ABF, emphasized the power of partnership.

“Our partners are at the heart of our programme, carefully selected for their innovation, initiative, and practical solutions to global challenges,” she said. “It’s inspiring to see how they are upskilling staff, increasing productivity, and building resilience, the foundations of lasting impact.”

Policy Dialogue and Technical Exchange
A key highlight of the workshop was the exchange between policymakers and private companies. Amos Melly, from Kenya’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, detailed the country’s struggle to keep pace with rising maize demand.

“While production has grown, we continue to face challenges linked to climate variability, soil fertility, and low mechanization,” Melly said. “By sharing lessons and innovations, we can strengthen climate resilience and promote inclusive food systems across the continent.”

Also, the Partenariat Centre for Strategic Development (PCSD) and SOFICAU presented strategies to help Matching Grant Partners improve financial management and organizational capacity. Experts from CIMMYT highlighted advances in seed systems, marketing and variety adoption, essential factors for boosting yields and farmers’ incomes.

Field Visits Reveal On-the-Ground Realities
Participants also visited the Nairobi Grain Silos, Kenya Highland Seed Company, and CIMMYT Research Facility, observing firsthand quality-control systems, seed technologies, and research-driven innovations in action.

Winnie Daisy, an agripreneur from Uganda, said the visits highlighted gaps her country needs to address.
“In Uganda, aflatoxin remains a major challenge, reducing market access and prices for farmers. Establishing accredited testing labs could greatly improve quality and competitiveness,” she said.

Key Outcomes: Forging Partnerships and Driving Impact
By the end of the workshop, participants had forged 25 new partnerships targeting areas such as carbon credits, recycling and waste management, aflatoxin testing, cross-border marketing, and technology transfer. These alliances underscore a growing commitment to innovation, sustainability, and climate resilience in Africa’s maize sector.

From the DR Congo, Onesphore Cirhuza highlighted the potential for deeper regional cooperation:
“We identified an excellent opportunity to strengthen exchange across Africa. Quality seeds and the digitalization of agricultural services can be key enablers for win–win partnerships.”

“Thank you to all ABF team and project partners for the nice week we had. The topics, the platform we shared as well as the lessons that we learned were amazing. From this workshop, we at APK in Tanzania have been able to form three partnerships with Oljoro Foods (Kenya), KIBMIST (Kenya) and MOUAFRICA (Tanzania). We have already laid down follow-ups which will lead to business partnerships. We are looking forward to more exchanges and forums like we had.” — APK Tanzania

The workshop reinforced the importance of cross-border collaboration, digital tools, and public-private partnerships in empowering farmers and agribusinesses to adopt data-driven, climate-smart practices.

All participating agribusinesses are recipients of the ABF- Matching Grant Fund, supported under the Joint Action “Business Support Facility for Resilient Agricultural Value Chains” co-funded by the European Union under the Samoa agreement with OACPS and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by GIZ.

Watch the full video of the workshop here!