Nairobi to host Africa agribusiness conference

African Agribusiness Incubator Network Prof Henry Bwisa (left) and International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) chief operating officer Karuppan Chetty during a press conference on the first African Agri-Business Incubation Conference slated for September 28-30th, 2015 at the KICC organized by the FARA-UniBRAIN Initiative. PHOTO | DIANA NGILA 

By STELLAR MURUMBA

In Summary

• The conference is organized by Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) and UniBRAIN Initiative (Universities, Business and Research in Agricultural Innovation).
• He added that agribusiness is projected to play a critical role in jump-starting economic transformation through the development of agro-based industries that bring much-needed jobs and incomes.

Agribusiness innovators and start-up companies are set to benefit from the first African agribusiness incubator conference to be held in Nairobi next week.

The over 300 delegates from around the world already signed up for the event will be exposed to available opportunities in agriculture incubation and agribusiness sector for start-ups, SMEs and established agribusiness ventures.

Attendees will also experience various successful agribusiness incubators from Asia and parts of Africa where the success rate of incubator-launched businesses is above 85 per cent.

“Agribusiness incubation has proven to be a very successful mechanism for launching new enterprises by creating an environment where start-ups can be nurtured and allowed to flourish.

This will be a unique getaway and we invite every relevant stakeholder to come and network for great incubation opportunities,” said Henry Bwisa, Chairperson, African Agribusiness Incubator Network (AAIN).

CRITICAL ROLE

Innovators, start-ups, SMEs, incubators, researchers, institutions, industries, development agencies and investors in Africa, are invited, he said.

Professor Bwisa said that the conference will showcase the successful opportunities in agri-business through agri-business incubators, and lessons learnt from incubating ventures.

The conference is organized by Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) and UniBRAIN Initiative (Universities, Business and Research in Agricultural Innovation).

He added that agribusiness is projected to play a critical role in jump-starting economic transformation through the development of agro-based industries that bring much-needed jobs and incomes.

“The World Bank projects that agriculture and agribusiness together are projected to be a Sh105 trillion (US$ 1 trillion) industry in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) by 2030 (compared to US$ 313 billion in 2010), and they should be at the top of the agenda for economic transformation and development,” he said.

He added that there will be an Awards Gala to award the best start ups and incubators to inspire and map Africa’s re-emergence as an agricultural and economic powerhouse.