As rural Africa stands at a crossroads — facing climate volatility, demographic shifts, and rising food insecurity — the need for collaborative, forward-looking strategies has never been more urgent. The SNRD Africa Conference 2025 invites its network members to come together in Lusaka to take stock of past achievements and shape new pathways for rural resilience across the continent.

Why Rural Resilience Matters

From severe droughts and soil degradation to shrinking biodiversity, rural communities across Africa are under growing pressure — and the consequences go far beyond agriculture. Zambia’s recent El Niño-induced drought, among the worst in its history, has resulted in crop and livestock losses of up to 80%, threatening both food production and energy security.

These shocks are symptoms of broader global shifts. By 2033, Africa’s urban population is projected to surpass its rural one. And by 2050, the continent will be home to one-quarter of the world’s population. These transformations are reshaping the development landscape — putting rural areas under new pressure while also opening new opportunities.

Yet, resilience is not only possible — it is already taking shape. Across the continent, we see promising shifts: from regenerative farming and climate-smart agriculture to more inclusive value chains and policy-driven solutions. The challenge now is to move from isolated examples to systemic, cross-sector change. That’s where SNRD Africa comes in.

Where’s the Sector Network Rural Development Africa headed?

✅ In this wide-ranging conversational interview, Speaker of SNRD Africa, Heike Hoeffler, talks about the future direction of the network amidst the broader challenges facing development cooperation today. From shifting donor landscapes and the need for Agri-Food System transformation to the uneasy role of resilience in rural development, the interview takes a candid look at how the sector positions itself in times of uncertainty. What needs to change in the way we communicate, collaborate, and define impact? And what would Heike do differently if she had two more years at the helm?

👉 Watch the interview for a refreshingly honest take on the unfinished agenda of rural development cooperation.

What to Expect at SNRD Africa 2025

SNRD Africa 2025 is more than just a conference — it’s a working space for the network to reflect, align, and act. Over five days in Lusaka, more than 80 GIZ projects across Africa will share best practices, lessons learned, and forward-looking strategies for rural development.

From on-farm innovations to national policy frameworks, the conference will explore how resilience can be built at every level. Key topics include:

• Climate Change and Resilience – Translating nature-based solutions and agroecological practices into scalable, risk-mitigating approaches.
• Fragility and Crisis Response – Enhancing resilience and adaptive capacity of rural communities in the face of conflict, displacement, and natural disasters.
• Crisis-Sensitive Rural Transformation – Designing food systems and rural development strategies that remain inclusive and sustainable amid instability and urban-rural disruptions.

The programme includes practical field visits, deep-dive workshops, and expert panels — all anchored in Zambia’s real-time experience with climate-induced crises and its evolving approaches to rural development.

Conference Highlights

• Saturday-Sunday, June 14-15 – Preconference training sessions
• Monday, June 16 – Kick-off with working group meetings and an opening dinner celebrating 30 years of SNRD Africa.
• Tuesday, June 17 – Keynote sessions on trends, drivers, and GIZ’s role in rural resilience.
• Wednesday, June 18 – Field trips to see resilience strategies in action.
• Thursday, June 19 – Deep-dive mini-workshops and networking sessions. Closing session and social dinner.
• Friday, June 20 – Future outlook discussions and planning for the next steps by the working groups.

What are the working groups doing?

Digital transformation is a key enabler for rural resilience cutting across different subject matters and areas of adoption. In this video, we discuss the upcoming SNRD conference in Lusaka, cross-collaboration in the sector network and key aspects to ensure that digital is taken up intentionally and in an inclusive way for equal benefits across GIZ’s partners.

The Inclusive Agribusiness working group explains their plans for SNRD Africa conference in June in Lusaka.

The Food and Nutrition Security Working Group of SNRD Africa is a platform for exchange. A space to share what we’ve tried, what we’ve learned, and what we still need to figure out — in planning, implementing, and measuring food and nutrition security interventions. It’s where real connection happens. Find out more about the working group on the working group’s page.

What’s the Working Group Gender Transformative Approaches up to?

✅ In this episode of the SNRD Working Group spotlight series, members of the Gender Transformative Approaches (GTA) group talk about what it really means to shift power dynamics—not just add gender checkboxes. With global backlash rising, they argue that development cooperation must go deeper than visibility and access, tackling structural inequalities head-on. From mentorship programmes to practical tools, the group shares how they support colleagues across the system — and why the upcoming Zambia conference could be a turning point. Watch for clear examples, honest reflection, and a call to rethink what “doing gender” really looks like.

👉 Find out more about the working group on the working group’s page.

Join the Conversation!

With 145 participants from diverse backgrounds, the SNRD Africa Conference 2025 will be a collaborative and solutions-driven event. It’s an opportunity to engage, learn, and contribute to shaping the future of rural resilience in Africa.

📝 Interested in attending?

Participation in the SNRD Africa Conference 2025 is open to members of the SNRD network. If you would like to attend, please contact the SNRD Africa community management team to receive the registration link and further details.

The registration has been closed!

Additional information

More information on the conference will be made available on this page as it becomes available. So please check back here.

(as of 27 May 2025)

Contact

Caroline Willeke, community management SNRD Africa, Email: snrd@giz.de