Kagame Joins Dakar Summit as Africa Bets on Youth to Transform Food Systems

By The Inspirer writer.

When President Paul Kagame landed in Dakar on Sunday evening, it was not just another diplomatic trip. It was a symbolic moment—Africa coming together to tackle one of its deepest challenges: how to feed its people sustainably while creating opportunities for the next generation.

The Africa Food Systems Forum, hosted by Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye from August 31 to September 5, has gathered an unusual mix of leaders—presidents, agribusiness entrepreneurs, researchers, global development partners, and most importantly, young Africans who are turning farming into innovation.

On September 1, Kagame and Faye will sit with youth leaders driving agricultural value chains across the continent. Their conversations will focus on bold ideas: how to scale innovation, strengthen partnerships, and turn Africa’s food systems into engines of both nutrition and prosperity.

The forum’s theme, “African Youth Leading Partnerships, Innovation, and Implementation for Food and Agriculture Value Chain Transformation,” reflects this vision. It is a reminder that food security is not only about crops—it is about leadership, creativity, and inclusion.

For Kagame, whose country hosted the forum in its early years under the banner AGRF, the platform is also a continuation of Rwanda’s call for political will and investment to build resilient, inclusive food systems that leave no African behind.