Ex-President Jonathan Joins African Food Systems Forum ‘Council Of The Wise’

Former Nigerian President, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, has joined five other former African heads of state and government in the Council of the Wise, a high-level platform that will feature prominently at the 2026 Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF) in Kigali, Rwanda.

The Council is expected to provide strategic perspectives on leadership, resilience and the future of Africa’s food systems as more than 5,000 policymakers, investors, business leaders, scientists, entrepreneurs and young innovators from over 50 countries gather in Kigali from August 31 to September 5.

The forum, to be held under the theme: “Investing in Africa’s Agri-Food Systems: Nourishing Nations, Growing Jobs, Building Resilience,” is expected to focus heavily on investment, job creation, food security, climate resilience and the development of stronger agricultural value chains across the continent.

According to a statement issued by the organiser on Friday, President Paul Kagame of Rwanda is expected to open the forum, which marks 20 years of AFSF as one of Africa’s major platforms for discussions on food and agriculture transformation.

Jonathan will serve on the Council of the Wise alongside former Tanzanian President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete; former Guinean Prime Minister Mohamed Beavogui; former Nigerien President Mahamadou Issoufou; former Beninese Prime Minister Lionel Zinsou; and former Ethiopian Prime Minister and Chairman of the AGRA Board of Directors, Hailemariam Dessalegn.

Their participation comes as African governments and businesses grapple with food insecurity, climate shocks, rapid population growth, unemployment and limited access to capital, while seeking to make food and agriculture more productive and resilient.

In 2022, LEADERSHIP reported that African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) appointed Jonathan, as Africa’s Ambassador for Agricultural Technology.

The 2026 forum is expected to provide a platform for governments, development finance institutions, investors and private-sector operators to identify investment opportunities and accelerate projects across the continent’s food and agriculture value chains.

The investment agenda builds on the 2025 edition of AFSF in Senegal, where six countries presented Country Legacy Programmes targeting more than US$6 billion in mobilised investments for food systems transformation, youth employment and sustainable agri-food value chains.

Managing-director of the Africa Food Systems Forum, Amath Pathé Sene said Africa already possessed many of the resources needed to transform its food economy but required stronger investment and implementation.

“Africa has the knowledge, the innovation and the entrepreneurial energy to transform how our continent produces, processes, trades and consumes food. What we need now is to match that ambition with investment and action at scale,” he said.

“As we mark 20 years, we are bringing leaders together in Kigali not simply to discuss the challenges before us, but to forge the partnerships, unlock the capital and advance the solutions that can nourish our nations, create jobs for our young people and build more resilient food systems for generations to come,” noted Pathe.

According the statement, the previous forum identified investment-ready projects, including businesses led by young people and women, while its Agri-Food Investment Forum highlighted the importance of blended finance, de-risking mechanisms and stronger domestic resource mobilisation in unlocking investment at scale.

AFSF 2026 will seek to convert those opportunities into concrete partnerships and financing through an AFSF Deal Room, where African agribusinesses, entrepreneurs and innovators will engage investors and financial institutions.

The forum’s five central priorities are investment and finance; food security and nutrition; climate resilience; youth and digital innovation; and trade, markets and value chains.

The wider forum leadership will include former African Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesina; Food and Agriculture Organisation Director-General Qu Dongyu; International Fund for Agricultural Development President Alvaro Lario; AGRA President Alice Ruhweza; African Union Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment Josefa Sacko; and CGIAR Executive Managing Director Ismahane Elouafi.

Others expected are AUDA-NEPAD CEO Nardos Bekele Thomas, UN Under Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Africa Claver Gatete, Embrapa President Silvia Maria Fonseca Silveira Massruha, as well as senior government officials, investors, researchers and private-sector executives.

Youth entrepreneurship and digital innovation will feature prominently, with participants examining how technology can expand economic opportunities for Africa’s young population across agriculture and food value chains. The forum will also highlight women’s roles in production, processing, trade and nutrition.

The Kigali gathering will further showcase Rwanda’s experience in food-systems transformation and position the country as a meeting point for African and global stakeholders working on agriculture, food and investment.

It will also look ahead to implementation of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme and preparations for COP32 in Addis Ababa, before concluding with a Food Festival celebrating food, culture and innovation and a closing communiqué linked to the Kampala CAADP Declaration.

“After 20 years of progress, the question facing Africa is no longer whether transformation is possible, but whether the continent can mobilise the investment, partnerships and action required to deliver it. AFSF 2026 will bring those decisions to Kigali,” noted Pathe.