Lusaka, 26 Novermber 2025
The Poultry Futures Forum 2025, held on 25–26 November in Lusaka, Zambia, marked a decisive step in accelerating the transformation of the Southern African poultry sector. Convened under the Southern Africa Poultry Initiative (SAPI) and led by AGRA, the Forum brought together policymakers, private sector leaders, development partners, researchers, youth agripreneurs, and regional organisations to move from dialogue to delivery.
Among the key contributors was FANRPAN, which participated in the Forum and presented on the African Agribusiness Youth Strategy (AAYS). FANRPAN’s engagement underscored the importance of policy coherence, youth inclusion, and regional coordination in unlocking the full potential of poultry as a driver of food security, jobs, and inclusive growth.
Poultry as a Policy Opportunity
Across Southern Africa, poultry is increasingly recognised not only as a fast-growing source of affordable protein, but also as a strategic policy entry point. Rising demand, short production cycles, and relatively low barriers to entry make poultry especially attractive for youth and women entrepreneurs. However, the Forum highlighted that realising this potential depends on the strength of enabling policies, particularly around feed systems, biosecurity, trade, and finance.
FANRPAN’s contribution emphasised that poultry transformation requires aligned national strategies, evidence-informed policymaking, and platforms that connect local experiences to regional and continental frameworks such as CAADP, the Malabo Commitments, and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
A central feature of the Forum was the strong focus on youth, reflected in the Young Farmers & Agripreneurs Forum and the presentation of a Youth Communiqué. FANRPAN’s presentation of the African Agribusiness Youth Strategy (AAYS) highlighted how poultry offers a practical pathway to operationalise the Strategy’s vision of empowering young agripreneurs as policy actors, innovators, and business leaders.
Through AAYS, youth engagement goes beyond participation to meaningful influence in supporting youth to contribute to policy development, access markets and finance, and integrate into regional value chains. Discussions at the Forum reinforced the need to embed youth voices in national poultry delivery labs, investment platforms, and association-strengthening initiatives.
The Forum advanced concrete policy and institutional outcomes, including progress on national poultry strategies in Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania, and renewed commitment to regional coordination through SADC-aligned platforms. These processes illustrate how targeted convenings can bridge the gap between policy ambition and implementation.
For FANRPAN, the Forum reaffirmed the value of multi-stakeholder policy dialogue in translating evidence into action. By supporting policy harmonisation, stakeholder engagement, and learning across countries, FANRPAN continues to position poultry within broader agrifood systems transformation agendas.
As AGRA and partners move forward with initiatives such as the Poultry Feed Accelerator and country-level delivery labs, the Poultry Futures Forum 2025 demonstrated that policy matters as much as production. Well-designed policies, informed by evidence and shaped through inclusive dialogue, are essential to reduce costs, manage disease risks, attract investment, and expand opportunities for youth and women.
With poultry firmly on the regional agenda, continued collaboration between governments, private sector actors, youth, and policy institutions will be critical. FANRPAN’s engagement at the Forum highlighted how policy-focused partnerships can help ensure that poultry delivers not only growth, but also resilience, inclusion, and long-term impact for Southern Africa’s agrifood systems.