- On 6-7 May, experts and stewards in Nairobi –and thousands online– will revitalize the conversation of how we engage with and protect rangeland ecosystems, which contribute nearly 40% of African agricultural GDP
- Explore the GLF Africa 2026 full agenda and speaker line-up
This 6-7 May, the hybrid conference GLF Africa 2026: Stewarding Our Rangelands will foster dialogue and action around the vital food, nature and socioeconomic systems of rangelands and pastoralists.
In Nairobi, Kenya and online, it will convene experts, youth, Indigenous and local leaders, businesses, policymakers and financiers. Participants will leave behind outdated narratives, building on the complex knowledge and dynamics of these ecosystems, that make up 43% of Africa’s land area and 54% of all land on Earth.
There will be more than 40 hybrid and in-person only panels, expert sessions, workshops, cultural demonstrations, networking activities and side events include:
- Opening plenary: From margins to mainstay. Discover why Africa’s rangelands and pastoralists matter for climate and biodiversity and how to help them thrive.
- The tapestry of pastoralism: What connects land, movement and peoples? Watch a living tapestry be woven in real time as pastoralists share their stories and experiences.
- Learning from pastoralism to foster resilient food systems. Explore how pastoralism can inspire resilient food systems through adaptive practices, policy reform and sustainable rangeland management.
- Rooted in landscapes: What if restoration is already reshaping our world? Discover how restoration is doing more thanrepairing damage byconnecting people with land and with each other.
- Unlocking finance, investments and livelihoods in rangeland and pastoralist economies. Learn how we can finance the pastoralist economy, as panelists outline practical ways to mobilize funding.
- Mobility and transhumance: Policy pathways for sustainable pastoral systems. Understand the challenges facing mobility and seasonal human migration in East Africa and assess their implications for sustainable pastoralism.
- Data-driven regenerative grazing: Integrating remote sensing and community knowledge through AfriScout app. Explore how regenerative grazing works and how it can be advanced through digital tools and Indigenous knowledge.
- Are the leaders we need in the room? Challenge old narratives, explore collective action and co-create a vision with leaders shaping Africa’s future.
- The International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists on the road to UNCCD COP17. Define regional priorities ahead of the upcoming desertification COP.
- Women’s leadership for just and sustainable food systems. Learn from African women farmers and pastoralists demanding land rights and investment in sustainable agriculture.
The conference’s closing plenary “Governing a common,” will explore lessons that Africa’s rangelands and pastoralists offer to the world and how the continent can become a global leader in commons governance.
Explore the full GLF Africa agenda.
Among the leading voices to learn from and connect with are:
- Dickson Kaelo, founding CEO of Kenya Conservancies Association (KWCA)
- Ida Nganga, visionary leader at the intersection of AI, STEM and digital transformation
- Johann Saathoff, Parliamentary State Secretary, German Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
- Kendi Borona, Africa Lead at Nia Tero, a global financial and technical partners of Indigenous Peoples
- Toyosi Akerele-Ogunsiji, Founder of Rise Networks & Rise Interactive Studios, Africa
Discover the complete line-up of nearly 100 experts and meet 10 heroes protecting Africa’s rangelands who will speak at GLF Africa 2026.
The conference also features the Vision Earth Film Festival – Africa Lands POP-UP!, a short selection of stories on pastoralists and other communities across the continent.
