Agriculture Summit Africa (ASA) has named Sunbeth Global Concepts as Co-Convener of its 2026 edition, deepening the partnership between the annual agricultural gathering and one of the companies operating directly across Africa’s commodity, farmer and agricultural value chains.
The ninth edition of the summit is scheduled to hold from September 15 to 16, 2026, in Abuja, with policymakers, agribusiness executives, financiers, investors, development institutions, technology companies and farmers expected to converge around the theme, “Building the Next Superpower: Africa’s Food Power Play.”
The partnership places Sunbeth at the centre of a summit that has increasingly evolved beyond discussions about agricultural development to examine the sector’s potential as a driver of industrialisation, trade, employment, investment and economic influence.
For ASA 2026, the central question is how Africa can move from possessing enormous agricultural resources to building a food system capable of feeding its rapidly growing population while creating globally competitive businesses and retaining more value within the continent.
From Agricultural Potential to Food Power
Africa has long been recognised for its substantial agricultural potential, yet the continent continues to face a paradox of abundant resources alongside significant dependence on food imports.
According to the African Development Bank’s 2026 Annual Development Effectiveness Review, agriculture accounts for about 17 per cent of Africa’s GDP. At the same time, the continent holds nearly 65 per cent of the world’s uncultivated arable land but still relies on an estimated $70 billion in food imports annually.
For stakeholders behind ASA, the figures point to a much broader economic opportunity.
The challenge is not simply to produce more food, but to develop the infrastructure, financing, processing capacity, technology, logistics and markets required to turn agricultural production into sustained economic value.
This will form a major part of the conversation at the Abuja summit, with participants expected to examine how Africa can strengthen domestic production, expand processing and value addition, deepen regional trade and develop more resilient food systems.
Dr. Olushola Obikanye, Group Head, Agric Finance and Solid Minerals at Sterling Bank, said Sunbeth's return as Co-Convener for the second consecutive year would strengthen the summit's ability to connect policy and financing with the realities faced by producers and businesses.
“Transforming African agriculture requires a value chain that works from the farm gate through processing, distribution and market access. Hence, the continued participation of experienced operators such as Sunbeth strengthens ASA’s ability to connect policy and finance with the realities of agricultural production and markets.”
Sunbeth Brings Operator's Perspective
Sunbeth Global Concepts brings to the partnership experience spanning agricultural commodity sourcing, farmer networks, exports and trade, alongside an expanding focus on local processing and value addition.
Its involvement gives the summit a commercial perspective on some of the challenges facing agricultural value chains, particularly the gap between production and the infrastructure and markets required to convert agricultural output into higher-value products.
Olasunkanmi Owoyemi, Chief Executive Officer of Sunbeth Global Concepts Limited, said the company's role as Co-Convener reflected its belief that the next phase of Africa's agricultural development would depend on stronger collaboration across the entire value chain.
“Africa’s agricultural opportunity has never really been in doubt. What matters now is our ability to build the systems that convert that opportunity into productive farms, competitive businesses, stronger processing capacity, functioning markets and sustainable prosperity. That is why Agriculture Summit Africa matters. It brings together the people who influence different parts of that system and creates the opportunity to move beyond identifying the problems towards building practical solutions. As Co-Convener, we are bringing the perspective of an operator that works directly with producers, commodities and markets, and we believe that perspective is critical to the wider conversation about Africa becoming a food power,” Owoyemi stated.
Finance, Technology and Processing in Focus
The summit is expected to focus on several structural issues that continue to constrain the competitiveness of Africa's agricultural sector.
These include access to agricultural finance, processing and value addition, infrastructure, technology adoption, climate resilience, market access and intra-African trade.
Policy frameworks required to make agriculture more productive and commercially sustainable will also feature prominently.
The emphasis reflects a growing recognition that food security can no longer be viewed in isolation from broader economic questions.
For African countries, the ability to produce and process food locally has implications for foreign exchange, inflation, employment, industrial development and economic resilience.
Likewise, stronger agricultural value chains could create opportunities for farmers and businesses while reducing the amount of economic value lost through the export of raw commodities and the subsequent importation of processed products.
Taking the Conversation to Farmers
In a move intended to connect high-level policy discussions with the realities facing producers, ASA began its 2026 programme with a grassroots engagement in Oyo State.
The initiative empowered 300 smallholder farmers with knowledge and resources focused on climate-smart agriculture, market readiness and digital farming.
The early engagement reflects the summit's broader attempt to ensure that the experiences of farmers are incorporated into conversations involving policymakers, financiers, investors and companies operating further along the agricultural value chain.
For smallholder farmers, issues such as access to markets, climate resilience, financing, technology and reliable buyers can determine whether increased production translates into increased income.
The organisers therefore see the connection between grassroots production and higher-level policy and investment decisions as essential to achieving meaningful transformation across Africa's food systems.
Building an African Food Economy
The 2026 edition comes at a time when food security is increasingly being linked to national competitiveness and economic sovereignty.
With a large and growing consumer market, significant agricultural land resources and an expanding need for food, Africa has the ingredients for a major agricultural transformation.
What remains critical is the development of systems capable of connecting those resources to capital, technology, infrastructure, processing and markets.
That is the opportunity ASA 2026 intends to explore in Abuja.
Rather than treating agriculture primarily as a development challenge, the summit will examine how the sector can become one of the continent's strongest engines of enterprise, trade, employment and economic power.
As government officials, farmers, investors, financial institutions and agribusiness leaders gather for the two-day event, the expectation is that discussions will move beyond identifying longstanding challenges towards practical partnerships, investment opportunities and policy actions.
Ultimately, the ambition is to build an African food system that can feed the continent's population, create greater value from what it produces and compete more effectively in global markets.
Stakeholders across the agricultural value chain are encouraged to participate in the summit and register through agricsummit.org.