Tanzania Hosting Africa’s maiden Summit on Pollination with the protection of bees, birds and butterflies in mind

Tanzania is set to host the first ever Pollination Summit to be held on the African Continent, with the protection of bees, birds and butterflies, the core agents of the plants’ propagation taking the center buzz.

The forthcoming inaugural Pollination Africa Summit, is scheduled to take place in Northern Tanzania and at the country’s safari capital of Arusha, located right at the central point between Cape Town and Cairo.

The landmark event is convened and hosted by the Sustainable Agricultural and Agribusiness Development Initiatives Tanzania (SAADIT), alongside co-organizers such as the Green Rural Community (GRC), Innovative Community Solutions (ICS), the Sustainable Earth Foundation, and Worker Bees Africa.

It is a three-day event taking place in Arusha from the 29th of September to the first day of October 2026.

The summit marks a critical continental evolution from the originally conceptualized Bees East Africa Symposium.

“The populations of pollinators such as bees and butterflies are declining at an alarming rate due to habitat loss and pesticide misuse,” points out Malulu Martin Igobeko, the Director and Founder of Sustainable Agricultural and Agribusiness Development Initiatives Tanzania (SAADIT).

“Without these pollinators, our agricultural systems face an invisible but definite crisis,” adds Igobeko.

Harnessing Pollination for Food Security, Biodiversity, and Livelihoods

According to the organizers, the summit is a definitive call to action for governments, the private sector, and development partners to integrate pollinator conservation directly into national development agendas, ensuring the survival, yield optimization, and sovereignty of African agrifood systems.

The summit comes just after the ministers responsible for Agriculture and Food Security from the East African Community (EAC) have adopted a series of strategic measures aimed at strengthening regional food security and promoting sustainable agri-food systems.

On his part, Genya Charles from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, who is also a member of the Pollination Summit Secretariat, highlighted its direct impact on macro-trade dynamics.

“From a technical trade standpoint, we are looking at pollination not just as an ecological process, but as a critical driver of trade, green enterprises, and market competitiveness,” he said.

“Protecting and managing pollination services adds immense tangible value to the continental trade balance and this three-day gathering has received official recognition from the Ministry of Industry and Trade to establish a unified continental roadmap for sustainable agribusiness,” Charles maintained.

On the other hand, Ms Mercy Butta from the Ministry of Agriculture’s Food Security Department, who also serves on the summit committee, explained that Tanzania’s decade of surplus food security is deeply tied to bee colonies acting as natural pollinators.

“Protecting the bees and butterflies as will be stipulated at this summit is essential to sustain our agricultural yields and local growers’ economies,” she added.

In a major development for the continental apiculture industry, global beekeeping and pollination technology giant BeeSTAR Technology from Australia will anchor the summit’s technical track.

The pollination summit event will feature an exclusive, live showcase and practical field demonstrations of BeeSTAR’s cutting-edge Smart Hive and Pollination Technology.

For governments, regional policymakers, large-scale agribusinesses, and private sector investors looking to combat low yields, these live sessions offer a direct, data-driven blueprint.

The introduction of advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered beekeeping tools, smart hive monitoring, and real-time telemetry analytics is specifically built to skyrocket regional agricultural productivity, maximize honey production, reduce hive losses, and optimize precision pollination services across Africa.

As a practical example of action on the ground, the summit will highlight the 1 million Hive Impact Pollination Initiative (HIPI 2030), a landmark framework anchored by SAADIT alongside a consortium of co-implementing partners including Green Rural Community, Innovative Community Solutions, the Sustainable Earth Foundation, and Worker Bees Africa.

Commenting on the event’s field-level relevance, the Director of Operations at Green Rural Community, Mr Augustino Athuman, noted that through the HIP 2030 framework, their main goal as implementing partner is to show delegates how integrating managed pollination services directly into farming landscapes systematically combats pollinator decline while structurally boosting food security and smallholder productivity.

Meanwhile Steven Makule from Innovative Community Solutions added his support for the convention by saying, “This summit serves as the ultimate platform for stakeholders across Africa to unite.

By bringing together community training frameworks and smart tools under one roof in Arusha, the hybrid event paves the way for resilient agricultural systems that secure sustainable livelihoods and long-term economic opportunities across the continent.”

The structured three-day itinerary will guide delegates from scientific evidence, through AI and precision agricultural technology as well as tackling high-level policy frameworks and investment commitments.

Alongside representatives from key value-chain giants and institutional partners like the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Bees for Development (UK), Tanzania Horticultural Association (TAHA), the Tanzania Plant Health and Pesticides Authority (TPHPA), African Biodiversity Network, BeeSTAR, and many others, the event is expected to come up with tangible solutions to threats facing pollinators across Africa.

About the summit

According to the organizers, Pollination Africa Summit is a focused, continent-wide scientific, policy and innovation summit with structured programming, technical sessions, and multi-stakeholder engagement, dedicated to advancing pollination as a foundation for food security, biodiversity, livelihoods, and green enterprise development in Africa.

Why Pollinators Matter

Pollinators are the unsung heroes of African agriculture.

From bees to butterflies, birds to bats, these diverse species play a vital role in increasing crop yields, sustaining ecosystems, and supporting rural livelihoods.

Food Security. Over 35 percent of global crop production depends on pollinators, ensuring food availability for millions across Africa.

Biodiversity. Pollinators support 80 percent of wild plants in the African region, maintaining ecological balance and climate resilience.

Livelihoods. Over 500,000 African farmers depend on pollinator-supported crops for income generation and rural economic development.