Networking for Stronger Collaboration on Food Systems

Over fifty professionals working across Ethiopia’s food systems gathered for an interactive networking event at blueSpace in Addis Ababa last week, 28th May.

The Food Systems e-course Alumni Networking event was jointly organized by Wageningen University & Research (WUR) and the Netherlands Food Partnership (NFP), marking the successful completion of the 2025 edition of the food systems e-course and its follow-up practical training. Since 2020, the e-course has reached thousands of participants around the world.

Alumni from the 2023, 2024, and 2025 editions—alongside stakeholders from government, the private sector, NGOs, and knowledge institutions—joined the event to explore collaboration opportunities and reflect on how to accelerate food systems transformation in Ethiopia.

Bram De Groote, Sustainable Food Systems Advisor at WUR, and Marjan Riepma, Partnership Builder at NFP, delivered welcome remarks and helped facilitate rich discussions throughout the late afternoon.

Melese Mulugeta Gobena, Resilient Agricultural Policy Advisor at the Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Institute and also e-course alumnus, shared insights on Ethiopia’s food systems progress and emphasized the value of the e-course and networking efforts in supporting national transformation goals.

With participants from Addis Ababa and regional cities including Mekelle, Hawassa, and Wolaita, the three-hour session fostered connections and laid the groundwork for future collaboration.