Date: 15 Oct, 2026
The Arab Authority for Agricultural Investment and Development (AAAID), in collaboration with the World Bank Group, will convene a virtual workshop on Tuesday, 27 October 2026, titled “Investment and Innovation for Strengthening Arab Food Security: Insights and Opportunities from the World Bank Report”. The workshop will bring together World Bank experts and stakeholders involved in investment, financing and agrifood systems to examine opportunities to advance food security across the Arab region.
The workshop aims to draw on the knowledge and expertise of international and regional institutions to inform AAAID’s investment priorities and identify opportunities to strengthen regional agrifood systems through investment, technological innovation and greater private sector participation.
Discussions will be informed by the World Bank’s regional report, published in June 2026, Building Food Security, Creating Jobs: Policy Pathways for the Middle East and North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan. The report examines the challenges and opportunities shaping food security and agrifood systems across the region, highlighting policy pathways to improve productivity, strengthen sustainability and create jobs through investment, innovation, technology adoption, value chain development and private sector engagement.
World Bank experts are expected to present the report’s key findings and discuss their implications for the future of food security investment in the region. The agenda will also examine how technology and innovation can improve agricultural productivity and resource-use efficiency, particularly water use, alongside approaches to mobilising private investment in agrifood systems.
A further focus will be on financing mechanisms and investment models that can help translate innovative agricultural technologies and solutions into commercially viable, bankable and scalable projects. Participants will also have the opportunity to exchange perspectives on the practical challenges facing agrifood investment and explore approaches to strengthening collaboration among development institutions, investors, businesses and financing partners.
The workshop is expected to help identify agrifood sectors with strong investment potential over the coming years, assess key barriers to financing agricultural innovation, and examine practical risk-mitigation instruments suited to the region’s investment environment. Discussions will also consider how projects can be structured to align food security objectives with commercial returns and measurable development outcomes.
The initiative reflects AAAID’s commitment to leveraging international partnerships and specialised knowledge to inform its investment activities and identify emerging opportunities across food security-related sectors. By bringing together institutional expertise and investment perspectives, the workshop seeks to support the development of more productive, sustainable and resilient agrifood systems across the Arab region.
