From Herders to Entrepreneurs: AFD opens images exhibition on the way forward for pastoralism in East Africa | AFD

Pastoralism is a cultural and financial pillar of the Horn of Africa, that sustains an estimated 20 million individuals throughout Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia, and contributes as much as 12% of Kenya’s and 45% of Somalia’s GDPs. Yet for all its scale, the sector stays underinvested, constrained by fragmented markets and mounting local weather pressures. Through images, portraits and artefacts collected throughout the area, the exhibition tells one other story. It challenges the narrative of vulnerability and presents it as a contemporary financial driver, dwelling to thriving ladies entrepreneurs, youth-led companies and increasing regional cross-border commerce routes.

Behind these tales is a broader regional effort to unlock the sector’s financial potential. Through its €17 million Regional Livestock Programme, co-financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), AFD is supporting extra aggressive and climate-resilient livestock worth chains throughout 5 cross-border corridors in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia. Implemented by Mercy Corps, CIRAD, Helvetas, Welthungerhilfe and IGAD/ICPALD, this additionally contains the camel milk commerce routes linking Wajir and Hargeisa. With a selected deal with ladies and youth entrepreneurs, the programme goals to enhance the livelihoods of greater than 540,000 individuals throughout the area.

France supporting Kenya, Somalia imaginative and prescient for a resilient pastoral financial system

“The Government of Kenya recognizes the importance of pastoralism and its contribution to the national economy and household livelihoods, particularly in ASAL areas, which constitute over 80% of Kenya. To strengthen pastoral livelihoods, the government is undertaking various initiatives, including the establishment of pastoralist-owned County Livestock Investment Companies across 21 ASAL counties, operationalisation of the Livestock Enterprise Development Fund, establishment of a National Strategic Fodder Reserve, establishment of pastoral cooperatives, and the rollout of the Animal Identification and Traceability System (ANITRAC),” mentioned Prof. Abdi Yakub Guliye, Advisor on Livestock and Rangeland Management to the President of Kenya.

“This exhibition invites us to look beyond pastoralism as a way of life and recognise it as a powerful driver of opportunity, innovation and regional prosperity.Across Kenya, Somalia and the wider Horn of Africa, pastoral communities are creating businesses, connecting markets and demonstrating that local knowledge can drive sustainable economic growth. France, through AFD, is proud to work alongside its partners to expand opportunities for women and young entrepreneurs, strengthen access to finance and unlock the full potential of pastoral value chain,” mentioned Ambassador of France to Kenya and Somalia, H.E. Arnaud Suquet.

“Pastoralism is too often viewed only through the lens of vulnerability, when it is also a powerful driver of economic opportunity, regional integration and climate resilience. AFD is committed to working alongside partners such as IGAD and ZEP-RE to connect pastoral communities with markets, finance and innovative risk-management solutions, enabling them not only to withstand climate shocks, but to invest, create value and prosper,” mentioned Aissatou Kumagangue, AFD Deputy Regional Director for Eastern Africa. 

The stakes prolong past markets and livelihoods. Pastoral communities are among the many first to bear the implications of local weather change, but their ancestral information of ecosystem administration presents a few of the best nature-based options for land restoration and biodiversity preservation out there on the continent. As Africa prepares to host COP32 in Ethiopia in 2027, France is dedicated to amplifying this message: supporting pastoralism means supporting local weather options. That dedication took concrete type on the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi in May 2026, to broaden entry to agricultural finance and insurance coverage merchandise for pastoral and agricultural actors throughout the area.

The exhibition runs on the Alliance Française de Nairobi from 4 to 12 July 2026 and is free and open to the general public.