The China-Africa Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Alliance (CAASTIA) is a platform for cooperation and exchange among agricultural research and education institutions, agribusinesses, and international organizations from China and Africa. It was jointly initiated by the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) and the African Academy of Sciences (AAS) under the framework of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), with guidance from China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and China International Development Cooperation Agency, as well as the African Union Commission.

In 2022, CAAS and AAS jointly proposed the concept of CAASTIA, with the aim of establishing a platform for cooperation and exchanges between Chinese and African agricultural research institutions and enterprises. The initiative seeks to deepen cooperation in joint agricultural technology R&D, technology transfer, and capacity building, facilitate the application of more appropriate agricultural technologies in Africa, and promote the Continent’s agricultural modernization.

In January 2023, CAAS and AAS signed a Memorandum of Understanding, in which both sides explicitly agreed to push forward the establishment of CAASTIA. With the joint efforts of both sides, the initiative received endorsement and support from the African Union Commission, and China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and Ministry of Science and Technology. In August 2023, the initiative was incorporated into Plan for China Supporting Africa’s Agricultural Modernization announced by President Xi Jinping at the China-Africa Leaders’ Dialogue, positioning CAASTIA as an important intergovernmental platform for promoting China-Africa cooperation in agricultural science and technology innovation. To implement the consensus reached by Chinese and African leaders, CAASTIA was officially launched at the Second Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Agriculture (FOCACA) in November 2023 in Sanya, Hainan Province, witnessed by 40 agriculture ministers from China and Africa. The initiative was warmly welcomed by the attendees, and a number of representatives of African research institutions and embassies in China expressed their intention to join the Alliance on the spot.

In September 2024, in President Xi’s keynote speech at the FOCAC Beijing Summit,  the initiative of CAASTIA was highlighted, reflecting the strategic significance of the endeavour. As a follow-up to the FOCAC Summit, in November 2024, CAASTIA was officially established during the Second China-Africa Innovation Cooperation Conference held in Wuhan, Hubei Province. CAAS and AAS jointly hosted a Roundtable, inviting Chinese and African experts to review and discuss the CAASTIA Charter and the Three-Year Action Plan, which is the very foundation for future substantive operations. 

The goal of CAASTIA is to become a hub for China-Africa agricultural science and technology joint research, a catalyst for agricultural science and technology transfer, a talent pool for agricultural science and technology innovation, and a think tank for studies on agricultural cooperation strategies. Through designing and implementing flagship cooperation projects, building information-sharing platforms, promoting the matchmaking of scientific and technological outcomes with the industry, strengthening capacity building, and enhancing studies on strategies, CAASTIA seeks to foster deeper China-Africa cooperation in agricultural science and technology innovation, advance Africa’s agricultural modernization, reduce hunger and poverty, and jointly build an all-weather China-Africa community with a shared future for the new era.

CAASTIA has successfully completed its founding member recruitment. To date, it has enrolled 91 founding members, including 52 from China and 39 from Africa, covering 28 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) in China and 23 countries across five sub-regions of Africa.

CAASTIA has established Secretariats in both China and Africa: the Chinese Secretariat is hosted by the Department of International Cooperation of CAAS, while the African Secretariat is hosted by the Secretariat of AAS. Up to now, the two Secretariats have established a regular working mechanism and jointly drafted key documents such as the Charter and the Three-Year Action Plan. With the approval of China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the first General Assembly of CAASTIA will be convened in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, from October 26 to 29, 2025.