Strengthening the Innovation Ecosystem for Climate-Resilient Agriculture in Benin
The agricultural sector plays a central role in Benin’s economy. It is a key pillar of national wealth creation and a major source of employment and income. As of 2024, agriculture contributed approximately 24% of GDP and employed nearly 28% of the working population.
Despite progress in recent years, Benin’s agricultural sector continues to face structural constraints that limit its full potential. These include low productivity, insufficient access to quality inputs, appropriate technologies, and financing, limited mechanization, and still-fragile value chains.
In this context, and given the growing challenges posed by climate change, agricultural development is a priority for public policy in Benin, both to support economic growth and to ensure food and nutrition security.
To help address these challenges, the consultation forum titled 'Strengthening the Innovation Ecosystem for Climate-Resilient Agriculture in Benin' will bring together leading researchers, innovators, policymakers, and investors to explore how innovations in food systems can accelerate sustainable and green growth in the country’s agricultural sector.
About the consultation workshop
This high-level strategic event will assess the challenges and market needs within Benin’s agricultural sector, as well as review existing partnerships in preparation for the joint launch of a regional Innovation Challenge. Building on the methodology of the Accelerate for Impact platform (A4IP), the results of the workshop will guide the creation of the West Africa Agri-Food Challenge, designed to identify, support, and scale science-based solutions that strengthen agricultural productivity while preserving natural resources and ecosystems.
This consultation workshop is organized by the Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques of Abomey Calavi University as part of the Fonds Equipe France project “International Innovation Hub-West Africa,” an initiative that aims to build an ecosystem of entrepreneurship support organizations (ESO) to address the challenges of food system transformation and development.
This two-year project brings together a consortium of twelve research and innovation organizations, led by leading universities in Senegal, Benin, and Côte d'Ivoire (Ussein University, Abomey Calavi University, INP-HB/ESA) as well as Agropolis International, Institut Agro Montpellier, CGIAR, the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT through the Accelerate for Impact Platform, CIRAD, IRD, Gaston Berger University, DER/FJ, and Afric'Innov.
Contributions of the workshop
The consultation workshop is an essential platform for mobilizing key stakeholders, including government representatives, researchers, agribusiness actors, startups, investors, and farmers to collectively contribute to the design, direction, and definition of the priority areas of the West Africa Agri-Food Challenge regional innovation challenge.
The workshop aims to:
- officially launch the International Innovation Hub West Africa project with institutional representatives and actors in food systems entrepreneurship from the partner countries
- facilitate a multi-stakeholder dialogue to explore the role of innovations in strengthening food security, climate resilience, and economic sustainability in Benin
- build bridges between research, technology, and entrepreneurship by promoting synergies between scientific research, innovation, and business development in order to accelerate the adoption of high-impact innovations
- refine the scope of the West Africa Agri-Food Challenge regional innovation challenge by validating the key lessons learned from the project design phase. The workshop will help define the priority areas of the challenge, which will be common to three countries: Benin, Senegal, and Côte d'Ivoire
- adopt a participatory approach, placing farmers, startups, and industry experts at the heart of the discussions to ensure that the proposed solutions are demand-driven, practical, and scalable.
Who is the event for?
- Public sector leaders and representatives from the relevant ministries and associated agencies
- Partners of the International Innovation Hub West Africa project
- Representatives of agricultural cooperatives, SMEs, and agri-value chain organizations
- Startups, innovators, incubators, and accelerators developing solutions for food systems in West Africa
- Technical and financial partners, donors, and international organizations
- Financial institutions, investors, and private sector actors
- Research institutes, universities, and think tanks
If you are interested in attending the workshop in-person, or collaborating on this initiative, contact Jules Amour Mahinou, Project Manager at the Faculty of Agronomic Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi (UAC) at: [email protected]
To learn more about the International Innovation Hub – West Africa
This consultation workshop is organized by the Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques of Abomey Calavi University as part of the Fonds Equipe France project “International Innovation Hub-West Africa,” an initiative that aims to build an ecosystem of Entrepreneurship Support Organizations (ESO) to address the challenges of food system transformation and development. This two-year project brings together a consortium of twelve research and innovation organizations, led by leading universities in Senegal, Benin, and Côte d'Ivoire (Ussein University, Abomey Calavi University, INP-HB/ESA) as well as Agropolis International, Institut Agro Montpellier, CGIAR, the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT through the Accelerate for Impact Platform, CIRAD, IRD, Gaston Berger University, DER/FJ, and Afric'Innov.
Photo Credit: Freepik, Unsplash, iStock
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