Seeds & Chips in partnership with Government of Rwanda will host the Global Food Innovation Summit (GFIS) for Africa in November 3-5, 2020.
The first ever to be hosted in Rwanda, Global Food Innovation Summit for Africa originates from Global Food Innovation Summit, a world-renowned event on Food Innovation and Sustainable Development held in Milan, Italy every year.
Envisaged to be the biggest Food Innovation event on the Africa Continent, the aim of GFIS Africa is to address global issues impacting the food chain to deliver solutions which can actively contribute to achieve the targets set by the Sustainable Development Goals.
The event will attract thousands of innovators, investors, companies, institutions, and policymakers around the world involved in the global food-chain to Rwanda, providing a platform for them to connect, collaborate, and transform the food system towards a more sustainable future.
Rwanda’s Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Dr. Gerardine Mukeshimana, has welcomed GIFS to Rwanda as an opportunity for participants to learn and exchange knowledge and experiences around food industry.
“We have no doubt that this event will create opportunities for Rwandans, the rest of Africa, and other participants. The GFIS will convey to Rwanda thousands of experts from every point in the global food-chain and these are key people who will help in delivering solutions needed to achieve the global Sustainable Development Goal on ending hunger by 2030, achieve food security and improved nutrition, as well as promote sustainable agriculture,” she said.
The Chairman and Founder of Seeds&Chips, Marco Gualtieri, said: “Our agri-food system needs to be improved and we believe that in the upcoming years Africa will play a major role. We are proud and happy to bring to Rwanda the innovative format of Seeds & Chips, which has been working so wonderfully well over the years to give a platform to innovators, institutions, companies and young leaders to work together toward a better future for all. And we are proud to do it in Rwanda, the leading African country in both innovation and sustainability ready to promote and implement the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN’s 2030 Agenda in Africa. I hope our commitment to change, innovation and sustainability will lead the way and inspire others as well. The world wants our actions to speak louder than our words”.
Speaking at the press conference to announce the GFIS for Africa, Rwanda Convention Bureau Chief Executive Officer, Nelly Mukazayire also said, “Rwanda is delighted to host the Global Food Innovation Summit for Africa in 2020. We are ready to receive delegates from all over the world to attend this event. We also extend our gratitude to the organizers of this conference for choosing Rwanda to be the host country, this will certainly enhance the positioning of Rwanda as a MICE hub in the region. We promise to accord the organizers all the necessary assistance to make this event a great success”.
The Global Food Innovation Summit has since taken place in Milano since 2015, an exhibition as well as a conference with different sessions to present and discuss themes, trends and innovations – additional to being a business matching platform that allows exhibitors and visitors to schedule one to one meeting throughout the course of the Summit and pitch competitions and hackathons organized in conjunctions with public and private partners.