“Technology is no longer optional; it is essential for addressing the challenges faced by farmers.”Right Honorable Prime Minister Dr. Édouard Ngirente

From June 9 to 13, 2025, the African Conference on Agricultural Technology is taking place at the Kigali Convention Centre (KCC). The event has brought together over 700 participants, including policymakers, researchers, farmers, and innovators from across Africa and around the world. Among the notable attendees is Mrs. Césarie Kantarama, Chairperson of the Ingabo Farmers’ Syndicate.

In her presentation, Mrs. Kantarama discussed the challenges farmers face in coordinating efforts to adopt new approaches in science, technology, and innovation to combat the effects of climate change. She also shared Rwanda’s experience in enhancing farmers’ knowledge of agricultural technology and called for the adoption of climate-smart agriculture and modern farming technologies.

This high-level conference features several distinguished dignitaries, including the Right Honorable Prime Minister of Rwanda, Dr. Édouard Ngirente, former Nigerian President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, Rwandan Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources Dr. Mark Cyubahiro Bagabe, and Dr. Canisius Kanangire, Executive Director of the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), among others.

In their remarks, the leaders collectively emphasized the importance of embracing digital tools in agriculture. A key message was that “these tools must be co-designed with farmers—not for farmers.”

Addressing the participants, Minister Dr. Mark Bagabe underscored the importance of engaging farmers as active partners, not merely as recipients of technology. He called for open-minded collaboration between youth, women, farmers, and investors to promote the use of technology, increase productivity, and create employment opportunities through agricultural innovation.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan highlighted the transformative potential of digital tools—from precision farming and satellite imaging to drones and artificial intelligence—in revolutionizing every stage of the agricultural value chain. He stressed the importance of professionalism in farming practices:
“How we plant, irrigate, harvest, store, market, and sell our crops must be done professionally.”

Concluding the event, Prime Minister Dr. Édouard Ngirente, serving as the Guest of Honor, reiterated the urgent need to transform African agriculture. He emphasized that technology is no longer optional—it is essential—and called for increased collaboration as the driving force behind that transformation.

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