Addis Ababa, December 1, 2025 (FMC) — The African Union today opened the inaugural African Union Conference on Digital Agriculture, bringing together policymakers, researchers, private-sector innovators, development partners, and farmer representatives to advance coordinated efforts toward a digitally enabled and climate-resilient agricultural sector across the continent.
The three-day meeting, held at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa, is convened under the theme “Shaping Agricultural Policy for Africa’s Future: Innovation, Climate-Smart Practices, and Digital Transformation for Sustainable Development.”
According to the African Union Commission, the gathering provides a platform for member states and partners to evaluate the state of digital agriculture in Africa, identify gaps, and outline concrete policy and investment priorities needed to accelerate adoption.
Participants are discussing a wide range of issues, including digital extension services, precision and smart-farming technologies, climate advisory systems, market information platforms, and data-driven tools aimed at improving productivity, sustainability, and resilience.
The meeting is also addressing regulatory and governance challenges such as data protection, interoperability of digital systems, and the enabling policy environment required to support innovation, scale, and private-sector engagement.
The conference builds on the AU Digital Agriculture Strategy (DAS), adopted in 2024 under the Policy and Regulation Initiative for Digital Africa (PRIDA), which identifies agriculture as a priority sector for digital transformation.
It was stated that the DAS aims to expand connectivity, strengthen data governance frameworks, promote access to digital services, and deepen collaboration among governments, technology providers, agribusinesses, and farming communities.
AU officials say the opening of the conference marks an important step in translating the strategy into action by facilitating knowledge exchange, highlighting successful initiatives from across member states, and generating policy recommendations that help integrate digital solutions into national agricultural plans.
The meeting continues through December 3rd 2025, it has been learned.