About GLF Africa 2022
On 15 September, the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) brought together over 8,000 participants and 90 partners – spanning sectors and regions of Africa – to learn how to build a sustainable and resilient agricultural future on the continent.
GLF Africa 2022 ran as a fully-digital conference, joining people around the world together in discussions, plenaries, networking events, virtual tours of landscapes, exhibitions, and more, in what resulted in being the GLF’s most attended and engaged-with African event yet.
The event reached over 30 million people on social media and provided a crucial platform for 185 speakers – including 77% African nationals and 51% women – to meet and forge new pathways for Africa’s food-secure future.
This report provides key statistics on the conference’s reach, participants, and achievements, and spotlights the donors and partners who made it happen.
Key messages
The event identified key game changers that are facilitating the necessary transition towards a sustainable agri-food systems transition.
Game changers for a new food future:
- ‘Leapfrog technologies’. Across the African continent, leaders and institutions are bypassing traditional development stages to ‘jump’ directly to the latest technologies or using emerging tech to explore alternative paths to confronting food system challenges and maximizing benefits.
- Centering local knowledge and traditional strategies. These must be the starting point for all technical innovations and solutions toward an equitable, resilient food future.
- ‘Brain circulation’. The migration of skilled professionals out of Africa can no longer just be considered a ‘brain drain’. Globalization is helping African ex-pats to take a leading role in the future of the continent – no matter where they live.
- Innovative partnerships across all levels. To scale up innovation and make food system transformation worth people’s while, novel and diverse kinds of collaboration will be critical.
