On 4 December 2025, McGill University’s Convergent Innovation Webinar Series will turn its attention to digital transformation and governance in contemporary food systems, using the Kenyan maize milling sector as a central case example. The webinar “Data Sharing, Incentives, and Governance Models for Food Convergence Innovation at Scale: From Micronutrient Fortification Index to Food Safety, Traceability and Sustainable Transformation of Kenya’s Milling Sector,” will examine how integrated digital approaches can strengthen food quality and system-wide resilience.

Modern food systems must respond to an intricate set of demands—from nutritional value and safety to affordability, sustainability, and consumer expectations. Against this backdrop, the webinar will consider how coordinated data flows, incentive mechanisms, and governance structures can support large-scale innovation. Kenya’s milling industry will serve as a multi-level illustration of how such tools promote transparency, traceability, and improved market functioning.

The discussion will explore several key themes, including:

• In what ways digital traceability and sustainability instruments can reinforce the governance of food quality.
• The types of business and policy incentives that can accelerate industry uptake of innovative practices.
• How the Kenyan experience may inform broader regional strategies for sustainable, data-driven food system development.

The themes explored in this webinar closely mirror the priorities addressed within the FS4Africa project, particularly the emphasis on strengthening food safety, enhancing traceability, and improving data-driven decision-making in African food value chains. The Kenyan milling case study offers practical insights into how coordinated digital tools, risk governance approaches, and multi-actor collaboration can reinforce system-level transparency—areas that align with FS4Africa’s efforts to promote safer, more resilient, and more accessible food systems across the continent.

Main presentations will be delivered by TechnoServe’s Tobi Durotoye and دومينيك سكوفيلد, both deeply involved in advancing Kenya’s food sector through digital and sustainability-oriented initiatives.

A distinguished panel will complement their insights, featuring:
• Paloma Fernandes, CEO, Cereal Millers Association
• Jacqueline Khanali Njonjo, Development Specialist, IFC
• Dr. Peter Kahenya Kinyanjui, Food Science and Nutrition
• Javad Nasiry, Professor of Operations Management, McGill Desautels Faculty of Management
• أليخاندرو أورتيجا بلتران, Senior Plant Pathologist and Head of the Pathology and Mycotoxin/Aflasafe Unit at IITA

The session will be chaired by Laurette Dubé, McGill Emerita Professor and James McGill Chair in Consumer and Lifestyle Psychology and Marketing.

This event offers a valuable opportunity for policymakers, industry representatives, researchers, and development actors to engage with emerging models that combine data, innovation, and governance for stronger and more competitive food value chains.

Webinar Details
Date: 4 December 2025
وقت: 9:00–11:00 AM EST
Platform: Online

Registration: https://mcgill.zoom.us/meeting/register/dflNG9fhQxS6pVshL0fMnQ#/registration