AfriFOODlinks CONFERENCE. Urban Food Action Plan: Why and how to invest in African urban food systems

The AfriFOODlinks Urban Food Action Plan officially launches as a continental investment framework co-created by 28 partners and 20 African cities to drive sustainable, inclusive, and resilient urban food systems.

The event presents new evidence of Africa’s overlooked but decades-long urban transformation, positioning cities as central to both development and responses to food crises.

It highlights city-level innovations with strong potential for replication, advocate for investment in urban food actions as engines of transformative change, and demonstrate how international financing can align with local budgets to deliver context-specific solutions. With Africa’s urban population set to double by 2050, cities are already at the forefront of tackling food insecurity, climate risks, unemployment, and health challenges.

The AfriFOODlinks Action Plan consolidates African experience, innovation, and leadership into a roadmap for action, calling on policymakers, funders, and development actors to support this agenda through new financing mechanisms, adaptive policies, and strategic partnerships.

The event hosted at the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact Global Forum, offers a global stage for African cities to lead the conversation on urban food system transformation.

Speakers

• Hans-Joerg Lutzeyer, European Commission; 
• Jane Battersby, University of Cape Town; 
• Silvi Serreqi, European Commission; 
• Luke Metelerkamp, ICLEI Africa; 
• AfriFOODlinks partners and Cities

Agenda