Nairobi Programme
28 – 30 September 2026 All session times are in EAT
Monday, 28 September
Session in partnership with and hosted by the Strathmore University, Nairobi
Karen Ole Sangale Rd, off Langata Road, in Madaraka Estate, Nairobi, Kenia
9:00 AM – 13:00 PM
Artificial Intelligence in Africa: Governance, Investment and Sustainable Development
Artificial intelligence presents unprecedented opportunities to accelerate scientific discovery, economic growth and public service delivery. This plenary explores the governance frameworks, investments and partnerships needed to ensure AI contributes to inclusive and sustainable development across Africa.
Key topics
- Responsible AI governance
- AI for sustainable development
- Digital innovation
- Investment in emerging technologies
- International cooperation
13:00 PM – 14:00 PM
Lunch break
14:00 PM – 17:00 PM
Cyber Security, Digital Resilience and Strategic Investment
As Africa’s digital economy expands, strengthening cyber resilience has become increasingly important. This session examines policies, technologies and investments that support secure digital infrastructure and trusted digital ecosystems.
Key topics
- Cyber security
- Digital resilience
- Critical infrastructure
- Digital public services
Capital Markets: Science Financing, Investment and Innovation Ecosystems
Scientific excellence depends on access to sustainable finance. This session explores how governments, investors, development finance institutions and industry can mobilise capital to support research, innovation and technology-driven economic growth.
Key topics
- Science financing
- Innovation ecosystems
- Venture capital
- Public-private partnerships
- Research commercialisation
Tuesday, 29 September
Session in partnership with and hosted by Landscape Alliance and SEI
9:00 AM – 12:00 AM
Empowering Women’s Leadership in Bioeconomy, Innovation, and Sociobiodiversity Product Competitiveness
The session, coordinated by Landscape Alliance combines Embrapa’s Women Producers of Well-being Program and Amazonian biodiversity value-chain experience with Landscape Alliance perspectives on women’s empowerment, bioeconomy and landscape action. It is framed by SDG 5 and the International Year of Woman Farmers.
1. How can women be empowered to drive bioeconomy value chains and lead agroecological transitions?
2. How can integrating scientific and traditional knowledge enable inclusive territorial development driven by women?
3. Which socially inclusive methods should be integrated into South-South cooperation?
Agenda
09:00-09:30 Welcome and framing
Landscape Alliance and Embrapa; UN 2030 Agenda, SDG 5 and International Year of Woman Farmers.
09:30-10:00 Embrapa strategic initiatives
Ana Margarida Castro Euler; Women Producers of Well-being and the Amazonian biodiversity value-chain project.
10:00-10:30 Landscape Alliance initiatives
Emily Gallagher; Women’s empowerment and bioeconomy linkages;
10:30-11:30 Knowledge integration and South-South cooperation
Co-creation on policy inputs and inclusive methods;
11:30-12:00 Outputs and next steps
Draw together recommendations and follow-up responsibilities.
Sustainable Agriculture and Nutrition
Scientific innovation is transforming agriculture and nutrition across Africa. This session highlights research and policy solutions that improve agricultural productivity, nutrition and resilient food systems.
Key topics
- Sustainable agriculture
- Nutrition
- Agricultural innovation
- Food systems
- Research partnerships
13:00 PM – 14:00 PM
Lunch break
14:00 PM – 17:00 PM
COP30 to COP32: Science and Finance for Global Food Security
The AgriZone, organized by Embrapa during COP30 in Belém, Brazil, served as a showcase of the power of science, innovation, and international cooperation to address solutions for climate change resilience. With over 25,000 visitors from 40 countries and approximately 400 technical events, the space integrated live and virtual laboratories showing sustainable solutions, low-carbon technologies.
It also presented immersive experiences in the Amazon rainforest to demonstrate how sustainable agriculture and conservation can co-exist and provide climate solutions. This session aims to discuss how the “AgriZone model” and other strategic initiatives could be useful to collaborate with the agenda of COP32, which will be hosted by Ethiopia in 2027.
Convened by: Embrapa
Science Diplomacy, Research Partnerships and Financing
Scientific cooperation is increasingly important for addressing shared global challenges. This session explores how science diplomacy and innovative financing strengthen research partnerships across Africa and internationally.
Key topics
- Science diplomacy
- Research partnerships
- Innovation funding
- International collaboration
- Capacity building
Wednesday, 30 September
Session in partnership with and hosted by Landscape Alliance and SEI
9:00 AM – 13:00 AM
One Health and Science for Health in the Global South
One Health Plenary
Recognising the close links between human, animal and environmental health, this plenary explores integrated scientific approaches to disease prevention, health security and resilient health systems.
Key topics
- One Health
- Disease surveillance
- Pandemic preparedness
- Environmental health
- Health resilience
Science for Health in the Global South
Scientific collaboration is accelerating solutions to health challenges affecting low- and middle-income countries, with a focus on equitable research partnerships and innovation.
Key topics
- Global health research
- Health innovation
- Research capacity
- Equitable access
- International partnerships
Genomics and Precision Medicine
Advances in genomics are opening new opportunities for disease prevention, diagnosis and personalised healthcare across Africa.
Key topics
- Genomics
- Precision medicine
- Diagnostics
- Biomedical research
- Health innovation
11:00 PM – 13:00 PM
This interactive two-hour panel brings together African scholars, policymakers, practitioners, and international partners to collectively reflect on a central question: “How can African development policy better recognize, govern, and learn from interactions between development goals?”
Rather than promoting one solution, the panel creates space for open exchange between different perspectives, experiences, methodologies, and governance approaches emerging across the continent. Specific evidence will be presented regarding 1. the contribution of women’s empowerment on food and nutrition security at household level, and 2. the contribution of insurance schemes to preventing conflict among herders in the context of climate change.
Key participants
Dutch Research Council, Utrecht University, University of Groningen, ILRI
Research Infrastructure and Capacity Building
Modern research infrastructure and skilled scientific communities are fundamental to Africa’s scientific competitiveness and innovation capacity.
Key topics
- Research infrastructure
- Capacity building
- Scientific excellence
- International collaboration
- Research investment
Public Policy, Governance and Evidence-Based Decision-Making
Scientific evidence plays a critical role in shaping effective public policy and governance. This session examines how governments can strengthen evidence-informed decision-making through research and data.
Key topics
- Science advice
- Evidence-informed policymaking
- Governance
- Research and policy
- Public institutions
13:00 PM – 14:00 PM
Lunch break
14:00 PM – 14:45 PM
Designing the Next Architecture of Mental Health: Global South Innovation Leadership
This session examines how Africa and the Global South are contributing to the governance, evidence, digital, and community architectures shaping the future of mental health. The global mental health crisis is a structural mismatch: the conditions shaping youth identity, belonging, and distress have been transformed by AI-mediated environments and rapid cultural change, while the systems designed to support them have not. The central question is who designs what comes next, and from what knowledge base.
Africa and the Global South are experiencing this transformation most acutely. An estimated 37 million adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa live with mental health conditions; up to 90% receive no formal care. The innovations emerging from these contexts combine cultural knowledge, digital tools, youth participation, and implementation science at scale.
Convened by: Inceptr
14:00 PM – 17:00 PM
Partnerships and Research Coordination
Kenya Optical Telescope Initiative
Large-scale scientific infrastructure creates new opportunities for research, education and international collaboration. This session explores the role of astronomy and space science in advancing scientific excellence across Africa.
Key topics
- Astronomy and space science
- Scientific infrastructure
- International collaboration
- Capacity building
- STEM education
Partnerships for the Sustainable Development Goals
Strong international partnerships are essential for accelerating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. This session explores collaborative models that connect research, policy and investment.
Key topics
- SDG partnerships
- International collaboration
- Science diplomacy
- Research cooperation
- Sustainable development