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MARKUP II at the Africa Food Systems Forum, 2026

Kigali
31st August to 4th September 2026

From 31st August to 4th September 2026, Kigali hosted the 20th edition of the Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF). Serving as the African continent's most significant annual convening on agriculture and food systems, AFSF brought together more than 5,000 delegates from over 50 countries under the theme Investing in Africa's Agri-Food Systems; Nourishing Nations, Growing Jobs, Building Resilience.

MARKUP II supported three Rwandan youth-led SMEs to attend; TRAPRO, Coffee Connect Centre and Kashlash Ltd; who are all participants of the MARKUP II Youth Agribusiness Accelerator. For these young agripreneurs, AFSF offered direct access to the investors, financial institutions and policymakers shaping the future of African agriculture.

For TRAPRO's COO Jean Pierre Niyigena, the Forum marked a genuine milestone.

"This was our first time attending. We participated in three Deal Room sessions, and attended general sessions on climate finance, partnerships and a dedicated session on the role financial institutions can play in designing products suited to farmers' irregular cash flows."

TRAPRO specifically operates a farmers-first model that provides coffee farmers with seedlings, financing and training, then buys and processes their harvest so more of the final export value reaches the people who truly grew it.

"What drove us to start TRAPRO was the historical disadvantage rural farmers were exposed to," explains Jean Pierre. Attending AFSF, gave TRAPRO's team unique access and vantage into the continental agricutural sector in Africa and its numerous stakeholders.

Looking forward, Jean shares that they've already started following up with the contacts they made in the rooms; opening TRAPRO up to new potential and funders.

For MARKUP II, TRAPRO's experience continues to reflect the commitment to empowering SMEs, including youth-led entities towards opportunities and linkages that can continue to raise their capacity as businesses.