Tanzania will host a four-day continental meeting bringing together African Union member states and agricultural stakeholders to strengthen seed systems, improve access to quality planting materials and advance food security across Africa.
The meeting, scheduled for Nov. 10–13 in Dar es Salaam, will comprise the seventh Steering Group Meeting and third General Assembly of the African Seed and Biotechnology Partnership Platform (ASB PP).
The African Union Development Agency-NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD), in coordination with the African Union Commission (AUC), is convening the meetings, which will bring together representatives of regional economic communities, research institutions, farmers’ organizations, private-sector actors, development partners and civil society.
The gathering comes as African countries intensify efforts to transform their agricultural systems, strengthen food and nutrition security and improve resilience to climate change.
“Access to quality seeds and planting materials remains essential to agricultural productivity, biodiversity conservation and resilient food systems,” AUDA-NEPAD and the AUC said in a statement announcing the meeting.
The first two days, November 10–11, will focus on strengthening the institutional and operational effectiveness of the partnership platform, following a February 2026 African Union Executive Council decision endorsing revised operational guidelines and transferring secretariat responsibilities from the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA) to AUDA-NEPAD.
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AUDA-NEPAD serves as the African Union’s development agency, responsible for coordinating and implementing key regional and continental development initiatives, fostering regional integration, building institutional capacity and helping member states achieve the objectives of Agenda 2063.
Discussions will cover the transition arrangements, institutional responsibilities, thematic working group mandates, coordinated workplans and mechanisms for monitoring and reporting progress.
The General Assembly, scheduled for November 12–13, will review implementation of the African Seed and Biotechnology Programme (ASBP) and identify priority interventions for strengthening seed systems across the continent.
It will also consider outcomes of the African Union Ministerial Seed Summit held in Eswatini from October 5–7, including the Ezulwini Outcome Document on Resilient and Sustainable Seed Systems for a Food-Secure Africa.
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Key priorities include implementing the revised ASBP 10-year action plan, advancing the Farmer-Managed Seed Systems Framework, harmonising regional seed policies and strengthening continental, regional and national seed and gene banks.
“The General Assembly will provide an opportunity to consolidate partnerships among continental public institutions, researchers, farmers’ organizations, private-sector stakeholders, development finance institutions, technical cooperation partners and civil society.”
Expected outcomes include a roadmap for the secretariat transition, governance recommendations and workplans for thematic working groups covering 2027–2028.
The African Seed and Biotechnology Programme, endorsed by the AU Assembly in January 2007, provides a continental framework for seed sector development. Its partnership platform was endorsed by the AU Executive Council in February 2022 to coordinate implementation at continental, regional and national levels.
