Theme: Accelerating Genetic Gains in Plant Breeding for Resilience and Transformative Food Systems and Economic Growth in Africa
Mode: Blended Meeting with Key Partners, Speakers and Executives in Kigali
Dates: October 25-30, 2021

Background

The need for strategic partnerships and urgent action to address Africa’s agricultural challenges in the area of innovation for building resilient and robust food systems for socio-economic development necessitated the birth of the African Plant Breeders Association (APBA) in October 2019. The inaugural conference of the APBA (APBAConf2019) graced by over 400 Scientists from 30 countries who converged at the University of Ghana in Accra, Ghana was a resounding success. The business meeting of APBAConf2019 held to approve the Constitution and elect officers, resolved that the APBA platform would drive an agenda for innovation in plant breeding on the continent to meet the Sustainable Development Goal 2: “End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture” and the aspirations of the African Union, “the Africa We Want” by 2063 as documented in the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP).

Following the inauguration of the APBA, national plant breeding associations have been established in Ghana and Nigeria while the associations in Egypt, South Africa and Zimbabwe among others, have remained active. Impressed with the progress so far, the African Union Commission (AUC) has tasked the APBA to lead a working group on Plant Genetic Resources Management under its African Seed and Biotechnology Programme (ASBP).

A second conference (APBAConf2021) initially proposed and scheduled for October 25-30, 2021 at the University of Makerere, Uganda had to be relocated owing to developments in our world since January 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our way of life and the new normal has driven us to innovate to keep the momentum.

APBAConf2021

The APBA in partnership with the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and several other institutions have the pleasure to announce the second Conference of the APBA (#APBAConf2021). The conference will be hosted both virtually and in-person at the Kigali Convention Centre, Kigali, Rwanda from October 25-30, 2021.

The theme for the Conference will be “Accelerating genetic gains in plant breeding for resilience and transformative food systems and economic growth in Africa”.

Due to the multidisciplinary nature of plant breeding, we anticipate the participation of leading scientists and students from a wide range of disciplines and from across the globe to discuss current research outputs and outcomes in plant breeding and related disciplines.

Event overview

The conference will consist of keynote addresses, technical presentations, workshops, exhibitions and poster sessions that should provide an excellent opportunity to network and exchange ideas on issues that directly influence agriculture and socio-economic development in Africa. The broad thematic areas to be covered will include:

• Trait discovery
• Accelerating genetic gain
• Genetic resource management and utilization
• Tree Crops Improvement
• Seed technology and seed systems
• Variety development and deployment
• Plant breeding innovation/new breeding tools/excellence in stewardships
• Contribution of plant breeding to food security and economic growth in Africa
• Intellectual property in plant breeding
• Capacity building for plant breeding

Keynote and Plenary Speakers

Currently, the underlisted persons have been confirmed as keynote speakers

1. Dr. Agnes Kalibata – AGRA President
2. Dr. Gerardine Mukeshimana, Hon. Min. of Agric., Rwanda
3. Dr. Robert Bertram, Chief Scientist, USAID, Washington DC or his Representative
4. Representative of the One CGIAR
5. Prof. Stephen Kresovich – Director, Innovation Lab for Crop Improvement (ILCI), Cornell University

Information on keynote and plenary speakers and other details will be shared on the APBA website (https://africanplantbreeders.ug.edu.gh/). The APBAConf2021 organizing committee would also like to encourage National Associations and Institutions who wish to nominate or sponsor speakers to contact the committee via email at: APBAConf2021@wacci.ug.edu.gh.

Pre-Conference workshops

The email contact for pre-conference workshops is: APBAConf2021@wacci.ug.edu.gh.

Planned workshops during the Conference

A number of workshops will be held during the conference. These will include:

1. UPOV workshop with support from USAID-SIL (contact person: Michelle Da Fonseca Santos [SIL Program Manager]- mdfsanto@illinois.edu)
2. The Plant Breeding e-learning in Africa (PBEA) instructor guides (WACCI & SIL)

An update on the planned workshops will be shared on the APBA website: https://africanplantbreeders.ug.edu.gh/

Side events

The working groups on Plant Genetic Resources Management and Research, Variety Development and Seed Production of the African Seed and Biotechnology Programme (ASBP) will host side events during the conference. If you wish to organise a side event, please send a mail to: APBAConf2021@wacci.ug.edu.gh.

Registration and abstracts submission

Registration for the APBAConf2021 and abstract submission will commence on March 15, 2021 on the APBA website (https://africanplantbreeders.ug.edu.gh/)

Registration fees:

APBA members

• Students [$20 for in-person and free for virtual]
• Professionals/academics/researchers [$40 for in-person and free for virtual]

Non APBA members

• Students [$50 for in-person and free for virtual]
• Professionals/academics/researchers [$100 for in-person and free for virtual]

If you intend to participate in this important conference, please visit the APBA website from March 15 for updates.

General enquiries (including membership applications) can be addressed to the Secretariat via email at:

info_apba.@wacci.ug.edu.gh.

Tentative Programme

Monday & Tuesday, October 25-26, 2021
Registration of participants and pre-conference workshops

Tuesday, October 26, 2021 03:00 p.m. – 06:00* p.m.
Opening Ceremony, Keynote Address 1 and Panel Discussion

Guests of Honour
Dr. Agnes Kalibata, President, AGRA
Dr. Gerardine Mukeshimana, Hon. Min. of Agric., Rwanda

Wednesday, October 27, 2021

09:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
AUC-ASBP Working Group on Plant Genetic Resources Management Workshop (by Invitation only)

11:00 a.m. – 01:00 p.m.
Keynote Address 2

01:00 p.m. – 02:00 p.m.
Lunch

02:00 p.m. – 03:00 p.m.
Keynote Address 3

04:00 p.m. – 05:00 p.m.
Oral Presentations (parallel sessions 1)

05:00 p.m. – 06:00 p.m.
Oral presentations (parallel sessions II)

06:00 p.m. – 07:00 p.m.
Poster session

Thursday, October 28, 2021

09:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
AUC-ASBP Working Group on Research, Variety Development and Seed Production Workshop (by Invitation only)

11:00 a.m – 12:00 p.m.
Keynote Address 4

12:00 p.m – 01:00 p.m.
Plenary session I

01:00 p.m – 02:00 p.m.
Lunch

02:00 p.m.- 03:00 p.m.
Plenary session II

04:00 p.m. – 05:00 p.m.
Plenary session III

05:00 p.m. – 06:00 p.m
Plenary session IV

06:00 p.m. – 07:00 p.m.
Poster session

07:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Conference dinner and awards.

Friday, October 29, 2021

09:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
High-level meeting of APBA Executive, Ag. Sector Policy makers in Rwanda and Development partners

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Keynote Address 5

12:00 p.m. – 01:00 p.m.
Oral presentations (parallel sessions II)

01:00 p.m. – 02:00 p.m.
Lunch

02:00 p.m. – 03:00 p.m.
Oral presentations (parallel sessions III)

03:00 p.m. – 04:30 p.m.
Graduate Students Symposium

04:30 p.m. – 06:00 p.m.
APBA business meeting and closing ceremony

*Note: All times are in CAT (GMT+2) (Kigali is one hour behind Nairobi, one hour ahead of Nigeria and, two hours ahead of Accra)

Pledged Sponsorship and Partners for #APBAConf2021
Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)
United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
Soybean Innovation Lab (SIL)
NextGen Cassava Project
African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF)
Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)
National Plant Breeders Associations