The 2nd edition of the Autumn School on Food Security in Africa opened this Monday, December 8, 2025, in Dakar at the headquarters of the Agence universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF). Organized from December 8 to 11, this pan-African meeting is jointly hosted by the AUF, the French Development Agency (AFD), and Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P).

In her address, the regional director of AUF West Africa, Widad Téba, emphasizes that the initiative aims to strengthen cooperation between African institutions and international partners around a priority issue: food security on the continent.

For the French Development Agency (AFD), the challenges are significant. Mathieu Boche, head of the natural resources and ecological transition unit at AFD Dakar, acknowledges that Africa continues to face severe food insecurity, making it essential to strengthen the food sovereignty of its member states. He also emphasizes the long-standing cooperation between AFD and Senegal, particularly in agriculture, climate change adaptation, and support for school canteens.

In this context, the AFD already supports the State of Senegal through funding aimed at improving the functioning of school canteens in conjunction with the relevant ministries, civil society organizations among others, in order to connect local production to the needs of Senegalese schools.

As a partner of the event, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University advocates for a balanced agricultural model. Its associate dean, Abdelghani Chehbouni, champions an African agriculture that is productive, equitable, and sustainable, reconciling family farming with economic growth.

This autumn school aims to train a new generation of African actors capable of proposing innovative solutions to the challenges of food security in Africa, particularly in Senegal.