Africa Bioeconomy Workshop

Workshop Agenda

Date/Time (Hrs) EAT	Session	Content
Day 0, 24 August  Arrival and check in at Hotel
Day 1, 25 August
08:30 – 09:00	Registration and Coffee
09:00 – 10:00	Opening Session	Opening Statements DG, icipe HE Ambassador, Embassy of Ireland, Kenya CEO, AUDA-NEPAD Commissioner DARBE, AUC  PS, State Department for Science, Research & Innovation in the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary, Kenya CS, Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry, Kenya.
10:00 – 10:30	Launch of the Kenya National Bioeconomy Strategy	National Bioeconomy Strategy Working Group
10:30 – 11:00	Group Photo/Coffee Break/Press Conference
11:00 – 12:30	Session 1: Setting the Scene & Bioeconomy in Africa	·         Workshop objectives and expected outcomes (Organizers). ·         Keynotes o   Bioeconomy in Africa – Editor, AJFAND & launch of the Special Issue; Sustainable industrialization in East Africa– Authors, State of the Bioeconomy in East Africa Report 2026 report, and launch of the report.
12:30 – 13:45	Lunch Break
14:00 – 17:00	Session 2: National and Regional Experiences, Stocktaking, and Pathways  (How are countries and regions addressing challenges and amplifying opportunities from implementing national and regional bioeconomy strategies?)	·         Four countries (Ethiopia, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa) and EAC will share their lessons from developing and implementing their national bioeconomy strategies – forming five stations ·         Participants will form five groups which will rotate through the five stations ·         Groups will gain insights from African countries with bioeconomy strategies ·         At each station, they will discuss pathways, challenges, and the enabling environment and governance of the bioeconomy Groups will converge in plenary to share key emerging issues from the discussion.
19:00 – 21:00	Reception at the Irish Ambassador’s Residence (Proposed & TBC)
Day 2, 26 August
9:00 – 10:30	Session 3: Thematic Focus I – Traditional knowledge as an integral part of the African bioeconomy  (How can Africa leverage traditional /indigenous knowledge to advance its bioeconomy?)	The session will be a panel discussion, where experts will discuss indigenous and local knowledge, and its integral role in the African bioeconomy. Discussions will include benefit-sharing (incl. biodiversity credits), ethics and governance of traditional knowledge.
10:30 – 11:00	Coffee Break
11:00 – 13:00	Session 4: Framing the African Bioeconomy Vision   (What elements/principles should define the African bioeconomy vision?  What bioeconomy value chains should a continental vision support? How does bioeconomy synergise with the continental frameworks such as CAADP, STISA and AfCFTA, and how might it be governed in light of these frameworks?)	Participants will break out into four groups to discuss (1) bioeconomy principles; (2) important or emerging bioeconomy value chains – includes showcasing bioeconomy entrepreneurship (ideally business that are beyond the idea-stage, i.e. ones that are truly scalable; (3) synergy with existing continental frameworks, and governance framework, and (4) financing the bioeconomy. Each group will select a representative who will report back in report back in plenary.
13:00 – 14:00	Lunch Break
14:00 – 15:00	Session 4 - continued: Framing the African Bioeconomy Vision continues with plenary	Moderated conversation with the AUC, AUDA-NEPAD, EAC and EU
15:00 – 16:00	Closing Session 5: Final reflections and closing statement	AU Special Envoy for Food Systems
16:00	END