> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://businessoi.media/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# [KENYA / RWANDA / EAST AFRICA] Kigali Forum: Eight Nations Commit to Turning Agricultural Potential into Concrete Investment
- URL: https://businessoi.media/en/kenya-rwanda-afrique-de-lest-forum-de-kigali-huit-pays-sengagent-pour-transformer-les-potentiels-agricoles-en-investissements-concrets-en/
- Published: 2026-08-28T02:54:56.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-28T02:54:56.000Z
- Description: From 24 to 26 Aug in Kigali, the FAO convened 8 East African nations for the Hand-in-Hand Forum. Coffee, livestock, horticulture: six priority chains to convert agricultural potential into concrete investment.
- Author: Emmanuel TAOCHY
- Tags: Kenya, Afrique, Investissement, Économie, Revue matinale, #en

From 24 to 26 August 2026 in Kigali, the FAO convened eight East African nations for the Hand-in-Hand Investment Forum. The goal: convert chronically under-funded agricultural potential into concrete investment across high-export-value value chains. The timing is strategic, opening a dense sequence of major events on African food systems in the coming weeks.

## Eight Countries, One Common Ambition

Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan and Uganda participated in the three-day event hosted in Kigali. The forum spotlighted shared structural challenges: climate change, inadequate infrastructure, high transport costs and limited access to agricultural finance.

Six priority value chains were identified: coffee, livestock and dairy, fisheries, horticulture, cereals and oilseeds — all offering strong export potential and foreign exchange generation, provided targeted investment in processing and logistics is secured.

## From Ideas to Investment

FAO Representative Mohamed Aw Dahir set the bar: « Our success will be measured by our ability to turn ideas into investments that deliver tangible benefits to farmers and communities. » The Hand-in-Hand initiative was designed precisely for this — connecting farmers, governments and private investors through structured facilitation.

## Why It Matters

East Africa is the continent's fastest-growing region, but it suffers a stark paradox: its population is predominantly rural and agricultural, while external financing gravitates to tech and fintech. The Kigali Hand-in-Hand Forum attempts to correct this distortion. For Indian Ocean countries that trade with the region — exporting or importing staple crops — stabilising East African agriculture is a direct regional food-security concern.