From Monday, the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, will host the first African Conference on Agricultural Technology (ACAT), which will exchange ideas and share best practices to explore innovative solutions for the development of the agricultural sector..

The five-day meeting is expected to bring together agricultural researchers, representatives of political bodies and the technology industry from various parts of the world, who will review and advocate the use of science, technology and innovation (STI) to promote agricultural transformation on the continent.

"The idea of the event is to raise the profile of issues of concern around access to and supply of innovative technologies among the continent's top leaders, including policymakers, to inform them in order to better guide decision-making," says a statement from the Mozambique Institute for Agricultural Research (IIAM), which will represent Mozambique at the conference.

One of the decisions expected to come out of the conference is a roadmap to support the progression of agricultural technologies from development to product commercialization, as well as promoting business links, collaboration and shared learning in agricultural biotechnology.

The conference is organized by Kenya's Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development and the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF).