NAIROBI, Kenya — The 5th Annual National Agribusiness Summit has reaffirmed Kenya’s resolve to transform its agricultural sector into a competitive, profitable, and innovation-driven industry at the heart of the country’s economic growth.
Held under the theme “From Promise to Action: Advancing Agribusiness Through Dialogue and Innovation,” the summit brought together policymakers, private sector leaders, researchers, farmers, and development partners to chart a path toward a more productive and sustainable agribusiness ecosystem.
The event served as a strategic platform for collaboration, aligning policies, deepening partnerships, and promoting technological innovation to reposition agriculture as a key driver of economic growth and prosperity.
Speaking during the summit, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi emphasized the government’s commitment to building efficiency, competitiveness, and resilience across agricultural value chains.
“We are strengthening entire value chains, enhancing market efficiency, and modernizing rural infrastructure to unlock the full potential of the sector,” Mudavadi said.
He noted that the government’s interventions are guided by the Agricultural Sector Transformation and Growth Strategy (ASTGS) and the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) — frameworks designed to reduce duplication, stabilize markets, and protect farmers from exploitation.
“These policy blueprints are not just documents,” Mudavadi added. “They are roadmaps to ensure that farmers and agripreneurs receive real, measurable benefits.”
Since its inception, the National Agribusiness Summit has grown into one of Kenya’s most influential forums for agricultural transformation. It provides space for evidence-based dialogue, innovation showcases, and policy coordination across value chains.
This year’s summit placed particular emphasis on climate-smart agriculture, digital transformation, value addition, and financial inclusion for smallholder farmers.
Experts and innovators presented solutions ranging from precision irrigation technologies and smart weather systems to mobile-based financing platforms aimed at boosting productivity and resilience.
“Agriculture remains the backbone of our economy,” one delegate noted, “but its sustainability now depends on how well we integrate technology, finance, and innovation.
Despite employing over 60 percent of Kenya’s population and contributing significantly to GDP, the sector continues to grapple with challenges such as low productivity, limited market access, post-harvest losses, and the worsening effects of climate change.
The government’s ongoing reforms under ASTGS and BETA aim to address these bottlenecks by modernizing rural infrastructure, promoting value addition, and improving access to local and export markets.
County governments, private investors, and national agencies have also signed new partnership agreements during the summit to expand agro-processing zones, invest in irrigation, and scale up digital extension services.
Each edition of the summit tracks progress toward Kenya’s Vision 2030 and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly food security and inclusive economic growth.
By fostering collaboration and innovation, the summit continues to shift Kenya’s agriculture from subsistence to enterprise, enabling farmers to operate as agripreneurs and investors in a modern, technology-enabled ecosystem.
As the country advances toward full agricultural transformation, the summit’s impact conveys a clear message — Kenya’s future lies in a resilient, market-driven, and innovative agricultural sector that can sustainably feed the nation and fuel its economic ambitions.
