Shaping Africa’s Agribusiness Future: Master Trainers Driving Sustainable Growth Across Boarders

Strategic partnerships are vital in the effort to build resilient food systems in Africa and beyond. Through the collaborative efforts of the Agri-Business Facility for Africa (ABF), its partners and dedicated trainers, nearly 2 million farmers have been reached, 3,000 cooperatives supported and over 69,000 processors, 92% women-led empowered.

To sustain this momentum and shape a more sustainable and inclusive agribusiness future, ABF brought together 63 Master Trainers from 17 African countries in Ghana from 13 to 17 October 2025. The Master Trainer Strategy Week hosted the General Assembly of the new International Agribusiness Practitioners Association (IAPA) and provided a forum for the participants from Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, and Zambia to share expertise, exchange experiences, and chart a collective goal for agribusiness capacity building across the continent and beyond.

Building Partnership for Sustainable Agribusiness Growth
Opening the event, Linh Feldkötter, Head of Project - ABF, commended participants for their collaboration, commitment, and energy in advancing agribusiness ecosystems across the continent.

“Your continued collaboration and perseverance have made this community of practice truly special and impactful,” Feldkötter said. She noted that ABF’s work has laid the foundation for IAPA, a new pan-African institution designed to ensure the continuity and expansion of agribusiness training beyond individual project lifespans.

“This week represents an important milestone in advancing agribusiness training and fostering inclusive, climate-resilient food systems across Africa. We are proud to support IAPA’s establishment and to continue empowering Master Trainers to lead sustainable growth and innovation.”

IAPA: A Pan-African Network for Agribusiness Practitioners
Representing a growing network of agribusiness experts, Valentine Nchendeh, President of IAPA, highlighted that the association brings together more than 70 certified Master Trainers from over 20 African countries, covering all major agricultural value chains.

“Our vision is to build sustainable and resilient agricultural value chains in the Global South by 2063,” Nchendeh stated.

“We aim to strengthen the capacities of agribusiness professionals and promote innovation across the value chain. We are grateful to ABF/GIZ for its unwavering commitment to empower agribusiness professionals, your contribution has been truly transformative.”

The General Assembly also formalized IAPA’s strategic direction and endorsed a roadmap to make the association fully operational and self-sustaining, ensuring that agribusiness trainers have a sustainable platform for collaboration and growth.

OACPS: Strengthening Partnerships Beyond Regions
Speaking on behalf of H.E Moussa S. Bakraki, Secretary-General of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), Anthony Brand, Officer-in-Charge of the Department of Programmes and Policy, emphasized the importance of collaboration in advancing inclusive agribusiness development across OACPS member states.

“This week represents a significant step toward a strong, professional, and self-sustained agribusiness trainers’ association. By strengthening training capacities, you are empowering thousands of farmers and agripreneurs across OACPS member states in key value chains such as maize, livestock, and cocoa.” Brand noted.

Learning, Innovation, and Inclusion in Action
The Master Trainer Strategy Week 2025 provided a dynamic platform for learning, innovation, and inclusion, bringing together agribusiness experts to strengthen the quality and sustainability of training across Africa. Sessions focused on blended learning approaches, the new Agribusiness e-Academy, impactful measures for post-training support and new perspectives on monitoring and evaluation.

A strong emphasis was placed on inclusion and sustainability, with Master Trainers exploring ways to integrate gender equality, reach youth, engage persons with disabilities and promote climate-resilient and biodiversity-friendly practices in agribusiness training. These efforts equipped participants with tools to deliver impactful, inclusive programs for farmers, cooperatives, and agripreneurs.

“Being part of the Master Trainer Strategy Week 2025 has been an incredible opportunity to enhance my expertise and connect with colleagues from across Africa,” said Iretiolu Olufunmilola Odi from Nigeria. “I’m excited to see ABF’s handover to IAPA creating a stronger, more connected community of agribusiness professionals.”

A major highlight of the week was the certification of new Master Trainers, recognizing their expertise and readiness to lead future agribusiness training initiatives.

Looking Ahead
The event reaffirmed a shared commitment to sustainable agribusiness transformation, driven by local expertise, innovation and collaboration. With IAPA now established and ready to lead the Advisory Helpdesk for Agribusiness Training, the agribusiness community is well-equipped to continue building inclusive, climate-smart, and resilient agricultural value chains across the continent.

Agri-Business Facility for Africa (ABF) is implementing 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.