AFSA and partners launch a three-day gathering to advance agroecology, food sovereignty, biodiversity and climate justice across the Congo Basin
Yaoundé, Cameroon — 25 August 2026 — The Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA), together with the Concertation Nationale des Organisations Paysannes au Cameroun (CNOP-CAM) and Congo Basin partners, today officially opens the Second Congo Basin Convening — “Securing the Heart of Africa: People, Nature, Food and Climate Resilience” — running from 25 to 27 August 2026 at the Franco Hôtel in Yaoundé.
Three years after the inaugural Congo Basin Summit in Kinshasa, DRC (August 2023), this second gathering brings together an estimated 120 delegates from the six Congo Basin countries — Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea — alongside representatives from Angola, Chad, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania and Zambia. Governments, farmer organisations, Indigenous Peoples, women’s and youth movements, researchers, financial partners and civil society will spend three days reviewing progress since Kinshasa and charting a shared regional roadmap for inclusive agroecology, sustainable food systems, biodiversity conservation and climate justice.
The Convening will be officially opened by His Excellency Gabriel Mbaïrobe, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Republic of Cameroon, whose government graciously agreed to host the gathering. Ahead of today’s opening, the AFSA delegation briefed the Minister on the Convening’s preparations and final agenda, and thanked the Government of Cameroon for its support.
Day One brings the region’s story into focus. Dr Million Belay, General Coordinator of AFSA, will introduce the Alliance’s continental work; Joséphine Atangana, AFSA’s Focal Point for the Congo Basin, will assess the achievements of the past three years and outline what this Convening aims to deliver; and Elisabeth Atangana, President of CNOP-CAM and Treasurer of the AFSA Board of Directors, will deliver welcome remarks ahead of the Minister’s official opening address. The day continues with plenary sessions on ecological resilience and the Congo Basin’s financing needs, a community agroecology exhibition, and a Cameroonian cultural dinner in the evening.
“Agroecology represents an alternative that promotes biodiversity, nourishes the soil, respects indigenous and local knowledge, and strengthens local economies,” says Dr Million Belay, AFSA’s General Coordinator.
Over the following two days, delegates will work through thematic sessions on land rights, climate justice and resource mobilisation, before adopting the Yaoundé 2026 Declaration and a regional action roadmap on 27 August.
About AFSA The Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) is the continent’s largest civil society platform advocating for food sovereignty and agroecology, uniting 48 member alliances active in 50 African countries and reaching more than 200 million people.
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