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Agribusiness leaders, investors, governments and financial institutions to converge in Uyo from October 25–28.
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Conference to focus on unlocking agricultural value chains, investment, processing and market access.
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Organisers position the summit as a transaction-oriented platform for partnerships, projects and investment.
October 8, (THEWILL) – The 5th Agribusiness Roundtable International Conference is set to bring together investors, government officials, financial institutions, agribusiness executives and other key players in Africa’s agricultural economy as stakeholders seek to unlock investment opportunities and accelerate food production and industrial development.
The four-day conference, scheduled for October 25–28, 2026, in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, is themed, “Accelerating Agribusiness Transformation: Unlocking Value Chains to Achieve Food Security, Nutrition Sustainability, Job Creation, Poverty Alleviation, and National Prosperity.”
The organisers said the conference would move beyond policy discussions to create opportunities for investment matchmaking, business partnerships, technology transfer, market access and development of bankable agricultural projects.
According to them, the gathering is designed to address some of the major constraints to Africa’s agricultural transformation, including inadequate financing, fragmented production systems, poor infrastructure, limited processing capacity and restricted access to markets.
A major focus of the conference will be access to capital, with project developers, agribusiness operators, investors, financial institutions and development finance stakeholders expected to examine opportunities in agricultural infrastructure, blended finance, climate finance and private-sector investment.
The conference will also focus on moving agricultural production from the export of raw commodities to processing and value addition at source.
Discussions are expected to cover agro-processing, storage, packaging, mechanisation, cold-chain systems, agricultural technology and other infrastructure required to support commercial and industrial-scale agriculture.
The organisers said the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area would also feature prominently, with stakeholders expected to examine ways of improving cross-border trade, product standards, logistics, export development and market access for Nigerian and African agribusinesses.
Climate-smart agriculture and green investment are also expected to form part of the discussions, particularly opportunities in sustainable land use, resilient food systems, renewable energy and climate financing.
The conference is expected to attract government officials, development partners, investors, financial institutions, farmers’ associations, commodity groups, processors, exporters, technology companies and other private-sector stakeholders.
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Speaking ahead of the conference, the South-South Coordinator of the National Network for Agricultural Investment and Development (NNADI), Dr. Howard Usen, said the gathering would provide the region with an opportunity to connect its agricultural resources to the capital, technology and markets required to transform them into wealth and employment.
“Uyo 2026 is important because the South-South region cannot continue to discuss its agricultural potential without deliberately connecting that potential to investment, processing, technology and markets. The real opportunity is to move from producing commodities to building competitive value chains that create jobs and retain wealth within the region”, Usen said.
He added that the conference could strengthen collaboration among government, investors, farmers, financial institutions and technology providers while exposing the agricultural potential of Akwa Ibom and the wider South-South region to domestic and international investors.
Usen said the success of the conference should ultimately be measured by the partnerships, investments, projects and market opportunities that emerge from the gathering.
The choice of Uyo as host city is also expected to provide an opportunity to showcase Akwa Ibom’s investment potential, infrastructure, agricultural resources and growing profile as a destination for business and enterprise.
The organisers said the conference would provide different opportunities for stakeholders, including investors seeking bankable projects, producers looking for markets and off-takers, technology providers seeking clients, entrepreneurs seeking capital and governments looking for strategic partnerships.
They stressed that Africa’s agricultural transformation would require more than policy pronouncements, noting that capital, technology, infrastructure, entrepreneurship, market access and effective partnerships would be critical to achieving food security and sustainable economic development.
