Nairobi Prepares to Host Africa Fruit Connect 2026 to Tackle Post-Harvest Losses and Boost Value Addition

Nairobi is set to host the inaugural Africa Fruit Connect 2026, bringing together key players in the continent's fruit industry to explore ways of reducing post-harvest losses and increasing value addition. The three-day conference will be held from October 6 to 8, 2026, at the Visa Oshwal Community Centre in Nairobi and is expected to attract farmers, exporters, processors, buyers, investors, researchers, regulators, technology companies, financial institutions, development partners and government representatives from across Africa and beyond. The meeting comes at a time when Kenya's fruit sector continues to play an important role in agriculture and the wider economy.

According to the Agriculture and Food Authority Yearbook of Statistics 2024, Kenya produced about 4.24 million tonnes of fruit in 2023, valued at Sh111.7 billion. Bananas accounted for the largest share of the value, followed by avocados and mangoes. However, industry players say production is only one part of the fruit value chain, with significant opportunities being lost after harvest because of inadequate storage and cold-chain facilities, transport challenges, limited processing capacity and difficulties accessing markets. Farmers and exporters also face stringent quality and phytosanitary requirements in international markets.

The Ministry of Agriculture says Kenya's horticulture exports reached 402,194.7 tonnes valued at Sh136.6 billion in 2024, underscoring the importance of the sector to the economy. The conference will seek to bring together stakeholders to explore solutions to some of these challenges while identifying opportunities for investment and expansion of Africa's fruit trade. According to Dr Saliou Niassy of the African Union Inter-African Phytosanitary Council, Africa's fruit sector has significant potential to contribute to trade, nutrition, employment and economic transformation. Stronger collaboration between producers, markets, research, plant-health systems and investment is required to unlock this potential.

Africa Fruit Connect Director and Convenor Loise Wachira said the meeting was intended to create practical connections across the fruit value chain. Africa has the fruits, the farmers and the market potential, but lacks sufficient connections between them. The conference comes as African countries begin implementing the CAADP Strategy and Action Plan 2026 to 2035, which seeks to increase agricultural production, reduce post-harvest losses, strengthen intra-African agrifood trade and promote greater local value addition. Meanwhile, the Food and Agriculture Organization estimates the global fruit market at approximately Sh79.5 trillion, while Africa's fruit economy is estimated at between Sh5.8 trillion and Sh7 trillion, representing an under-leveraged market where Africa currently contributes less than five per cent of global fruit exports.

Why This Matters

The structural disconnect between high production volumes and low global export participation highlights critical vulnerabilities in agricultural supply chains across the continent. When a vast majority of produce is traded raw without local processing, regional economies miss out on substantial employment generation, manufacturing growth, and retained capital. By addressing the bottlenecks in cold-chain logistics, storage infrastructure, and phytosanitary compliance, industry stakeholders can directly influence how African agricultural output translates into sustainable macroeconomic value.

Integrating smallholder farmers with formal industrial buyers and financial institutions creates a more resilient agrifood ecosystem capable of withstanding external market shocks. Aligning these commercial objectives with continental policy frameworks such as the CAADP Strategy ensures that regulatory support and infrastructure investments move in tandem. Strengthening these foundational elements helps secure long-term food security while positioning African producers to meet stringent international trade standards.

Opportunities

• Cold-Chain Contractors: Commercial opportunities to design, build, and maintain reliable cold-storage and temperature-controlled transport infrastructure to mitigate post-harvest losses.
• Agri-Financiers: Investment openings to structure tailored financial products and credit facilities for processors, exporters, and smallholder cooperatives scaling their operations.
• Technology Integrators: Commercial deployment of digital platforms that connect farmers directly with institutional buyers, input suppliers, and logistics providers.
• Processing Equipment Suppliers: Provision of modern value-addition machinery and packaging technology to local enterprises transitioning from raw exports to processed fruit products.

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