AU-IBAR and AAIN Forge Strategic Partnership to Accelerate Africa's Livestock Value Chains and Youth Agribusiness Development

Bujumbura, Burundi

The African Union Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) marked a significant milestone during the 11th African Agribusiness Conference and Expo by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the African Agribusiness Incubators Network (AAIN). The partnership reinforced AU-IBAR's commitment to transforming Africa's animal resources sector through the Integrated Regional Livestock Value Chains (IRLVC) program while strengthening opportunities for youth and women in livestock, fisheries and aquaculture enterprises. 

The Conference, convened under the theme of strengthening agribusiness incubation and acceleration ecosystems for employment creation in Africa, brought together policymakers, private sector leaders, innovators, investors and development partners to explore practical pathways for accelerating agri-food transformation through innovation, investment and enterprise development. 

To this, the AU-IBAR–AAIN partnership represented a strategic step towards translating continental policy commitments into practical investment, enterprise growth and market opportunities. The MoU established a framework for collaboration in advancing inclusive, market-oriented animal resources value chains while leveraging AAIN's expertise in agribusiness incubation to support AU-IBAR's continental mandate on livestock, fisheries and aquaculture development. 

Central to the agreement was the support for the implementation of the Integrated Regional Livestock Value Chains (IRLVC) program, through which the two institutions will identify and nurture youth and women-led enterprises across priority livestock value chains, including dairy, red meat, poultry, hides, skins and leather, fisheries and aquaculture. The partnership will also promote evidence-based business models, strengthen value chain integration, improve market access, facilitate finance mobilization and expand regional trade opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). 

The MoU further reinforced the African Youth in Livestock, Fisheries and Aquaculture Incubation Network (AYLFAIN) as a continental platform for youth entrepreneurship. Through the collaboration, AU-IBAR and AAIN will jointly strengthen enterprise incubation systems, mentorship programs, business development services, digital learning, investment readiness and market linkages while developing evidence and knowledge products that demonstrate the contribution of youth and women to Africa's animal resources transformation. 

Beyond enterprise development, the partnership placed strong emphasis on knowledge management, monitoring and policy dialogue. Both institutions will collaborate in generating case studies, policy briefs, technical knowledge products and learning events that inform continental policy while showcasing scalable models for livestock value chain transformation and inclusive economic development. 

The signing of the MoU reflected AU-IBAR's broader strategy of building delivery-oriented partnerships that connect continental policy with implementation. As Africa seeks to increase intra-African trade, strengthen food systems and create employment opportunities for its growing youth population, collaborations such as this provide an important mechanism for transforming livestock, fisheries and aquaculture into competitive, investment-ready sectors capable of driving sustainable economic growth.