Food

A quiet revolution is transforming the lives of rural women across five districts in Rwanda, turning smallholder farmers into confident entrepreneurs and community leaders. Through the Joint Programme on Accelerating Progress towards Rural Women’s Economic Empowerment (JP RWEE), a global initiative bringing together key UN agencies and the Government of Rwanda to strengthen women’s livelihoods and resilience in agriculture.

The program’s impact is vividly clear in Gisagara District, Southern Province, where women are moving beyond traditional subsistence farming to embrace modern, climate-resilient agricultural practices and market access.

In a significant step for Africa’s food future, two of the continent’s major financial organizations have joined forces. The Bank of Agriculture (BOA) and the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) have made a powerful commitment to help Nigeria’s small-scale farmers. At a recent trade meeting in Algeria, they signed an agreement to create a funding program worth up to US$1 billion. This money is meant to help farmers grow more food and sell it more easily.

In a significant step towards achieving Africa’s development goals, Alliance Bioversity International and the Government of Rwanda have strengthened their partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on August 14, 2025, in Kigali. This collaboration aims to drive progress towards the African Union’s Agenda 2063, a comprehensive plan for the continent’s socio-economic transformation.

According to Dr. Wanjiru Kamau-Rutenberg, Managing Director of of Alliance Bioversity Africa, the alliance’s work is deeply aligned with Agenda 2063 and other key African priorities, such as the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP).

Kigali, On September 23, 2024, the 2nd Rwanda Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) Conference took place at the Kigali Convention Center.

The two-day event brought together industry leaders, researchers, and policymakers to explore technological innovations in agriculture under the theme, “Promoting Climate-Resilient Agriculture through Science, Technology, and Innovation for Improved Food Security and Nutrition.”

Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Dr. Ildephonse Musafiri addressing participants at the 2nd STI Conference