The Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA) is honored to host an official side event of the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9), in collaboration with the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the African Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services (AFAAS).

Title: Scaling Agricultural Extension in Africa amid Emerging Technologies and Global Aid Shifts
Date: Thursday, July 24, 2025
Time:
・19:30 – 21:30 (Japan)
・6:30 – 8:30 (EDT)
・10:30 – 12:30 (GMT)
・11:30 – 13:30 (West Africa)
・13:30 – 15:30 (East Africa)
Format: Online (Zoom Webinar)
Language: English (English–Japanese simultaneous interpretation available)
Fee: Free (Registration required)

Click here for details and registration

About the Event
In light of pressing challenges including climate change, constrained market access, and high youth unemployment, agricultural extension in Africa has regained critical importance. Recognized as a cornerstone of sustainable agricultural development, extension services play a vital role in empowering youth and women, and in fostering inclusive income-generating opportunities.

Conventional top-down extension models, focused primarily on one-way knowledge transfer, have proven insufficient in addressing these multifaceted challenges. Consequently, a multidimensional approach—encompassing market linkages, financial inclusion, climate-smart agricultural practices, digital innovation, and inclusive leadership—is gaining momentum.

Simultaneously, advances in technologies such as artificial intelligence and mobile platforms, alongside evolving international aid frameworks, are creating transformative opportunities to reimagine extension service delivery. SAA’s Commercial Community-Based Facilitator (CCBF) model in Uganda exemplifies an effective, locally grounded and scalable approach to sustainable extension services.

This side event will highlight such innovative and practical models and explore their potential adaptation and scaling across diverse African agricultural contexts.

Featured Speakers Include:
• Dr. Canisius Kanangire – Executive Director, African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF)
• Dr. Eliot Jones-Garcia – Senior Research Analyst, IFPRI
• Dr. Kristin Davis – Senior Research Fellow, IFPRI
• Dr. Rosemirta Birungi – Technical Lead, AFAAS
• Mr. Robert Anyang – Country Director, SAA–Uganda
• Dr. Junji Koide – Senior Researcher, JIRCAS
• Ms. Yenenesh Egu Bezabih – Lead Executive Officer, Ministry of Agriculture, Ethiopia
…and more.

A panel discussion and Q&A session will facilitate substantive dialogue among practitioners, policy stakeholders, and experts from international and research institutions.

Do not miss this opportunity to engage in shaping the future of agricultural extension across Africa.

Register here

TICAD9 Official Website