Overview
The ACAE Conference 2026 will take place from September 22–25, 2026 in Nairobi, Kenya, under the theme:
Smart Agriculture: Innovation, Digital Transformation, and Trade for a Climate-Challenged Africa
The four-day program is designed to foster collaboration between researchers, policymakers, development partners, agribusiness leaders, and young professionals.
Invited Speakers
Distinguished experts from academia, government, international organizations, and the private sector will deliver keynote and plenary addresses.
Ousmane Badiane, PhD, Dr. h.c
Profile
Dr. Ousmane Badiane, a Distinguished Fellow of the African Association of Agricultural Economists, recipient of the Africa Food Prize in 2015, and a member of the World Academy of Sciences, serves as the Executive Chairperson of AKADEMIYA2063. He has over 35 years of experience as an academic and a practitioner in international development.
As the Director for Africa at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), he was instrumental in developing and guiding the implementation of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP).
As Lead Specialist for Food and Agricultural Policy at the World Bank, he served as advisor to the Vice President for Africa and originated projects with large-scale funding. Between research and development finance, Dr. Badiane taught Economics of Development in Africa at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies for many years.
Dr. Badiane received a PhD in Agricultural Economics from the University of Kiel in Germany. He is also the recipient of a Doctorate Honoris Causa from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa.
Matin Qaim
Profile
Matin Qaim is Professor of Agricultural Economics and Executive Director of the Center for Development Research (ZEF), University of Bonn, Germany. Before, he had professorships at the Universities of Goettingen and Hohenheim and was research fellow at UC Berkeley, California. Qaim’s main research areas relate to sustainable food systems, poverty reduction, and rural development. He is a Highly Cited Researcher, Member of the German National Academy of Sciences, Fellow of the American Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA), and President of the International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE).
Oliver Kiptoo
Profile
Oliver Kiptoo Kirui is a Research Fellow and Acting Program Leader for Nigeria in the Development Strategies and Governance Unit, based in Abuja, Nigeria, where he supports the development of research-based policy solutions; coalition-building for policy change; co-creating innovative analytical tools in close collaboration with several partners.
Oliver conducts and supports research related to several policy-relevant topics including agricultural and economic transformation, markets and trade, livelihoods and nutrition, development strategy and investment planning, and resilience of agriculture under climate change and extreme weather events. He is experienced in managing and conducting evidence-based research, building coalitions and working with multiple stakeholders, and conceptualizing, conducting, and communicating research outputs to various audiences.
Prior to joining IFPRI, Oliver worked as a Senior Researcher and Postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Development Research (ZEF), University of Bonn, Germany, and as a Research Associate at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT). He received his PhD in Development Economics from the University of Bonn.
