Chefs on a mission:

Connecting, convening and catalysing change from the farm to the plate

Join us at the Culinary Village!

1 – 3 September 2026, 1-4pm

Africa Food Systems Forums | African Food Festival

KCC Roundabout | Kigali, Rwanda

Food brings people together and it can also tell the story of how Africa’s food systems are changing.

As part of the 2026 Africa Food Systems Forum, the Culinary Village at the Kigali Food Festival will bring the continent’s food story to life through cooking, conversation, culture and collaboration.

Across three days, chefs, farmers, food entrepreneurs, scientists, young leaders and food systems champions will celebrate Africa’s rich culinary heritage while showcasing the innovations and solutions that can shape a healthier, more resilient and prosperous food future.

The programme will showcase our plates as powerful platforms to ask: How can we champion indigenous ingredients? What does a fairer, more resilient food system look like? How can chefs help strengthen biodiversity, support farmers and inspire healthier, more sustainable diets? What are the crops we need to grow and eat more of?

Join us from 1-3pm daily at the Africa Food Festival for culinary masterclasses, tastings, and important conversations that explore challenges and opportunities shaping Africa’s food future.

Meet the chefs leading the way

Chef Abiro Wisdom
Ghana
Chef Abiro Wisdom
Ghana

Abiro Wisdom Seidu Napaana, better known as Chef Abiro, is a passionate cook who has turned his love of cooking into a mission: to promote the gastronomy of his native Ghana. With his talent and creativity, Chef Abiro reinvents traditional Ghanaian dishes, giving them a modern twist while preserving their authenticity.

He is one of the key players in the Ghana Food Movement (GFM), in which he fervently defends local, sustainable cuisine. Through his broadcasts and culinary workshops in particular, he tries to raise public awareness of the importance of using local ingredients and supporting Ghanaian producers. His commitment has propelled him onto the international stage.

Instagram: @chef_abiro
Chef Arabella Parkinson 
South Africa
Chef Arabella Parkinson 
South Africa

Chef Arabella believes food is medicine. That nourishment should serve both people and the planet, with no hidden costs. Working at the intersection of gastronomy and sustainability, she designs climate-smart menus for the tourism sector and trains chefs to bring care and circular systems into their kitchens: reducing waste, choosing climate-smart ingredients, and cooking plant-forward.

Instagram: @eat_to.thrive
Chef Claude Bigayimpunzi
Rwanda
Chef Claude Bigayimpunzi
Rwanda

Chef Claude Bigayimpunzi is a certified executive chef with more than 15 years of experience in the international and African food and beverage industry.

Known for his creativity and commitment to using natural ingredients, Chef Claude creates memorable menus that celebrate the source of our food. As an active member of the Chefs’ Manifesto, he is dedicated to advancing its eight thematic areas, from using ingredients grown with respect for the earth to promoting nutritious and accessible food for all.

At the festival, he will share insights on responsible food production and how kitchens can contribute to more sustainable food systems.

Instagram: @chef_bigayim
Chef Eniola Okeola
Nigeria
Chef Eniola Okeola
Nigeria

Chef Eniola Okeola is a Nigerian chef and advocate with a deep focus on indigenous ingredients and traditional food knowledge. Her work sits at the intersection of gastronomy, biodiversity and community development, using the power of food to reconnect people with local sourcing and sustainable food systems.

Eniola champions the use of indigenous fats and oils while advocating for greater recognition of the women farmers and processors who have preserved this knowledge for generations. As coordinator of the Slow Food Cooks’ Alliance Nigeria and a participant in the 2026 World Food Forum Young Chefs Programme, she highlights how culinary innovation can protect biodiversity and ensure that food heritage remains a vital part of our future.

Instagram: @_neeola_
Chef Lihle Mahambehlala
South Africa
Chef Lihle Mahambehlala
South Africa

Lihle Mahambehlala is a South African chef and food advocate dedicated to food security and building resilient, healthier communities. By combining classical culinary training with a passion for indigenous ingredients, she brings fine dining and cultural heritage together, preserving traditional knowledge and showcasing African flavours to global audiences.

Lihle believes that chefs have a unique responsibility to inspire healthier choices. In Kigali, she will share her perspective on how culturally rooted cuisine that celebrates identity and local biodiversity can support more sustainable food systems.

Instagram: @hostedbylihle
Chef Odondise ‘Odi’ Gowa
Ethiopia
Chef Odondise ‘Odi’ Gowa
Ethiopia

Chef Odi is a passionate and results-driven Chef, food advocate, and culinary storyteller with international experience across Qatar, Bahrain, Bermuda, Bahamas, Miami, and Ethiopia where he’s worked alongside renowned chef Marcus Samuelson since 2017. His culinary journey is shaped by a commitment to excellence, consistency, and the art of delivering memorable dining experiences.

His work goes beyond the kitchen. He is passionate about using food as a platform to promote Africa’s agricultural potential, celebrate indigenous crops, support farmers, and inspire more sustainable food systems. His approach combines global culinary techniques with a respect for local ingredients and culture.

He explores how African ingredients can move from farm to plate in innovative, nutritious, and internationally relevant ways. He believe chefs have an important role to play in connecting consumers with farmers and showing the value of Africa’s diverse food heritage.

From teff, beans, sweet potatoes and other resilient African crops, he creates contemporary dishes that tell a story about culture, sustainability, nutrition, biodiversity, and economic opportunity.

His vision is to put African ingredients and African farmers at the centre of the global culinary conversation, inspiring the next generation of African chefs with the Chefs’ Manifesto.

Instagram: @chefodigowa
Chef Seyitan Aruna
Nigeria
Chef Seyitan Aruna
Nigeria
Chef Seyitan Aruna, widely known as The East African Nigerian Chef, is an award-winning Afro-fusion private chef, recipe developer, and culinary storyteller based in Lagos, Nigeria.
Born in Kenya, raised in Rwanda, and educated in Uganda, she brings a deeply personal, cross-cultural perspective to West Africa’s modern food scene. After formally training at Reddish Chronicles, where she earned a professional diploma in Cuisine, Pastry, and Gastronomy alongside a specialized Afro-fusion diploma, she dedicated herself to bridging the gap between East and West African flavor profiles.
Driven by the belief that food is a powerful medium for emotional connection, Chef Seyitan uses multi-layered seasoning bases and unexpected formats to reinvent traditional African gastronomy. She has gained prominent recognition for her innovative menus—such as her viral “Everything Smoky Jollof” concept featuring custom Jollof ice cream—and was nominated as the “Most Promising Young Chef of The Year.” from CAPA (Culinary Arts Practitioners Association of Nigeria).
Through high-end private dining experiences, corporate culinary collaborations, and masterclasses, she continues to push boundaries and educate global audiences on the vibrant diversity of Pan-African cuisine.
Instagram: @chefseyitan
Paul Newnham

CEO, Moderator

SDG2 Advocacy Hub
Paul Newnham

CEO, Moderator

SDG2 Advocacy Hub

Paul Newnham is a systems disruptor and systems innovator working at the intersection of food, climate, nutrition and sustainable development. He is the Founder and CEO of the SDG2 Advocacy Hub, a global network that brings together civil society, governments, business, chefs, farmers, scientists and other influential voices to accelerate action towards Zero Hunger and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Paul is also the founder of the Chefs’ Manifesto, a global network of more than 2,000 chefs across 100 countries using the power of food, kitchens and storytelling to advocate for better food systems. Through the network, chefs are championing solutions from sustainable agriculture and biodiversity to nutrition, food waste and climate action.

Known for connecting unlikely allies and turning ideas into collective action, Paul has spent more than two decades working globally to build movements and partnerships around food and sustainable development. He is particularly passionate about creating practical pathways for people to engage with complex global challenges and ensuring that the voices of communities, farmers and food practitioners are part of the conversation.

Paul is a passionate advocate for collaboration, innovation and the transformative power of food to create a healthier, more equitable and sustainable future for all.

Hear a special message from
Chef Pierre Thiam

 

Born and raised in Senegal, Pierre Thiam is a James Beard Award–winning chef, restaurateur, author, entrepreneur, and environmental advocate. His critically acclaimed New York restaurant, Teranga, presents vibrant, health-forward fast-casual cuisine sourced directly from smallholder farmers across West Africa.

He is the founder of Yolélé, a company dedicated to expanding access to African ingredients throughout the United States, most notably fonio, a resilient and highly nutritious ancient grain from the Sahel region.

Thiam is the author of four cookbooks, including his most recent title, Simply West African. He serves on the boards of several global nonprofit organisations, including IDEO.org, SOS Sahel, Corps Africa, and the New York Common Pantry (NYCP), and previously served on the Advisory Board of the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). He resides in Oakland, California, with his wife, daughters, and their dog.

Explore the daily programming:
1 September: Food Foundations — Celebrating where we come from

Let’s celebrate the culinary heritage in Rwanda and across the African continent by shining a light on the crops, ingredients, knowledge and traditions that have sustained communities for generations. Through traditional dishes, indigenous crops and stories from farmers and food leaders, we will also reflect on 20 years of progress in African agriculture through the lens of food.

  • Traditional Foods of Rwanda (Chefs Claude and Seitan)
  • Ode to AGRA: 20 Years Through Food (Chefs Arabella and Odi)
  • Youth & The Next Generation (Chefs Eniola and Lihle)
2 September: Food for Today — Showcasing solutions that work now

Get to know the practical solutions already helping to transform food systems across Africa. From beans and climate-friendly crops to school meals, biodiversity and urban food systems, chefs and food systems leaders will demonstrate how innovation can improve nutrition, livelihoods and resilience, today.

  • Biodiversity and the Plate
  • Celebrating Africa’s Table: Solutions Continued
  • School Meals for Today
  • FAO Urban Food Agenda + Young Chefs Programme
3 September: Food for the Future — Imagining what comes next

We’ll look towards the future, exploring resilient crops, biofortification, new food technologies and innovations that could help nourish Africa’s growing population. The programme will bring together innovators, chefs and food systems leaders to imagine what Africa’s food system could look like in 2040, and what needs to happen today to get there.

  • Resilient Crops for the Future
  • Fortifying the Future
  • Innovations that Will Feed Our Future

Follow the Action