Sunbeth Global Concepts's appointment as co-convener shifts Agriculture Summit Africa's 2026 agenda toward stronger private-sector involvement, signalling a clearer business focus in discussions about transforming food systems. The summit, set for September 15-16, 2026 in Abuja, will bring together officials, agribusiness leaders, financiers and farmers under the theme “Building the Next Superpower: Africa’s Food Power Play”.
Now in its ninth year, the platform aims to tackle structural barriers that stop Africa converting its agricultural endowments into domestic industry and broader food security. Organisers say the conference will probe agricultural finance, infrastructure, technology, climate resilience and intra-African trade, while Sunbeth is expected to contribute a commercial perspective informed by its work in commodity sourcing, farmer networks, exports and local processing.
Industry figures attending the summit have framed the challenge as one of systems rather than individual interventions. Sterling Bank’s Group Head of Agric Finance and Solid Minerals, Olushola Obikanye, stressed that transforming the sector depends on a value chain that links the farm gate to market access. Sunbeth’s chief executive, Olasunkanmi Owoyemi, highlighted the need for collaboration among producers, financiers and processors as a foundation for future development.
The summit’s agenda gains urgency against a backdrop of persistent imbalances in African agriculture. The African Development Bank’s 2026 Annual Development Effectiveness Review notes agriculture accounts for about 17 percent of Africa’s GDP, and the continent holds nearly 65 percent of the world’s uncultivated arable land, yet it still relies on an estimated US$70 billion in food imports each year. Organisers present the conference as a venue to convert those numbers into actionable policy and investment priorities.
Ahead of the main event, the programme has already started community-level work. A grassroots engagement in Oyo reached 300 smallholder farmers, delivering resources on climate-smart practices and digital farming tools. The Abuja sessions on September 15-16 will be the next test of whether stronger private-sector representation, including Sunbeth’s operational experience, can translate into practical commitments on finance, processing capacity and intra-African trade.
