AgriCord is pleased to announce its partnership with the Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE) as a Supporting Partner of the 11th ARE Energy Access Investment Forum (EAIF 2026), taking place from 21 to 24 April 2026 at the Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya.
EAIF is the leading annual investment event fostering partnerships for renewable electrification, including energy access, productive use, commercial and industrial uses of power and the green energy transition. Organised by ARE and co-hosted by the European Union through its Global Gateway strategy and held under the patronage of the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum of Kenya, the Forum aims to bring together over 1,500 participants, both in person and virtually, with interpretation available in French and English.
Of special relevance to AgriCord and its network is the dedicated C&I Day, which connects renewable energy supply-side companies and investors with demand-side industries, including agriculture.
Access to affordable and reliable energy remains one of the most pressing challenges for rural communities worldwide. According to the International Energy Agency, 730 million people worldwide still lack access to electricity (IEA, 2025), with sub-Saharan Africa accounting for the largest share of this deficit. For the farming communities that make up the majority of the region's population, energy poverty is a direct barrier to agricultural productivity and rural development.
AgriCord’s work with smallholder farmers worldwide highlights the critical role of energy as a foundational input for both agricultural production and rural livelihoods. Access to affordable and sustainable electricity enables farmers’ organisations to strengthen value chains through processing, storage, and value addition, while supporting the growth of local agribusinesses. Across its programmes, AgriCord promotes solutions that respond to farmers’ energy needs by facilitating access to appropriate technologies, mobilising working and investment capital, and strengthening the capacity of farmers’ organisations to manage and sustain such infrastructure in line with their priorities.
The Forum therefore offers a valuable platform to explore how clean energy solutions can further strengthen agricultural value chains and rural livelihoods, while fostering partnerships that respond to the concrete needs of farmers’ organisations.
As part of this partnership, AgriCord's regional farmers' organisation partner, the Eastern Africa Farmers Federation (EAFF), will be attending the Forum. EAFF represents 24 member organisations and an estimated 25 million smallholder farmers across 10 countries in Eastern Africa.
For more information or to register for EAIF 2026, visit www.eaif.energy.
