A Franco-Kenyan partnership for agroecology and food innovation

Agriculture and food account for around 25% of Kenya’s GDP and are a key pillar of the country’s employment and exports. However, the sector faces major structural challenges: the impacts of climate change, food insecurity, unequal access to the means of production and a lack of appeal to younger generations. It is to address these challenges that the University of Nairobi and AgroParisTech have decided to join forces, building on an already well-established cooperative relationship between the two institutions.

SHIFT-KF strengthens existing ties, particularly with the Faculty of Agriculture and the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences at the University of Nairobi, to develop a comprehensive vocational training programme, from bachelor’s to doctoral level, tailored to the challenges facing Kenya’s agricultural and agri-food sector.

Funded by the French Development Agency (AFD) via the French National Research Agency (ANR), as part of the Africa-France Academic Partnerships Programme (PeA3), the project brings together six French partners with complementary profiles around AgroParisTech and the University of Nairobi: CIRAD, IRD and Institut Agro, providing scientific and academic expertise; the Coconi Agricultural College (EPNEFPA in Mayotte), EPLEFPA FORMATERRA and EPLEFPA Saint-Joseph in Réunion, focusing on vocational training and the updating of bachelor’s degree programmes. The involvement of these institutions from Réunion and Mayotte is significant: based in regions facing agro-ecological challenges similar to those in Kenya, they anchor the project within a framework of regional cooperation and represent a valuable asset for skills transfer. Following an initial coordination meeting between partners via videoconference in late February 2026, the official launch ceremony took place on 9 June at the University of Nairobi, attended by representatives of the AFD and the French Ambassador to Kenya. This ceremony took place less than a month after the Africa Forward summit and President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Nairobi, during which the project was highlighted in the presence of Eléonore Caroit, Minister of State for International Partnerships, at a session dedicated to higher education. This was followed by a two-day seminar to enable the partners to get to know one another better and to make progress on the project’s content.

In practical terms, SHIFT-KF plans to design and implement two Master’s programmes with an international reach — one in agroecology and the other in food innovation —, to strengthen teaching at Bachelor’s level, and to supervise doctoral theses. The project will also facilitate student and academic staff mobility in both directions and will provide an opportunity to develop new teaching methodologies: project-based learning, research-based learning and entrepreneurship. To facilitate these exchanges and in line with the Francophone scientific community, activities focusing on technical French will also be offered.

SHIFT-KF complements the ESC, which is already active at the University of Nairobi in the fields of science, engineering and technology. Together, these two projects contribute to making Nairobi a Franco-Kenyan centre of excellence in agricultural research, training and innovation.