As the World Bee Day was marked globally on 20 May 2026,  icipe was central to national celebrations in Ethiopia and Kenya, which reaffirmed that bees, people and nature are deeply connected, and that this partnerships sustains us all.

In Kenya, the national celebrations were held in Mombasa, inspiring us to dedicate three days of activities in the coastal region. We started with an uplifting session of nurturing the next generation of bee champions, engaging young learners of Ziwani School For Deaf and Khamis High School in Mombasa, on how to conduct biodiversity research and use the iNaturalist app to document the diversity of bees and their forages, as well as a tree planting session.

We visited beekeepers in Mikindani, along the Tudor Creek, and Kwale County, South Coast, who generously shared their wisdom on sustainable beekeeping in mangrove ecosystems, welcomed ideas on science-led approaches to unlock challenges, and… we helped to plant more mangrove trees!

It was reinvigorating to participate in vibrant debates bringing together stakeholders from the beekeeping value chain to ponder important questions, like how to increase honeybee colony productivity, address pollinator health, and improve market access and financing for beekeeping sector.

icipe was proud to join the official World Bee Day commemoration, held under the leadership of the Hon. Jonathan Mueke, Principal Secretary for Livestock Development, Kenya, and representatives from FAO, Kenya Forestry Services, Apiculture Platform of Kenya, Biovision Africa Trust, county representatives, coastal stakeholders, and young learners.

In Ethiopia, it was wonderful to see honey value chain stakeholders, including beekeepers, honey aggregators, processors, cooperative unions, input suppliers, retailers, exporters, development partners and investors convene in Dilla, South Ethiopia Region, for an event jointly organised by the Ministry of Agriculture and icipe.

The preliminary sessions featured expert presentations on honeybee pollination, integrating commercial apiculture with protected public lands, and pesticide governance from policy to implementation (CMPU case study), key policy issues including access to land and national honeybee colony resources. It was great to reflect on these themes, many of them aligned to icipe’s activities and contributions to the Ethiopia’s apiculture sector.

We were proud to see our MaYEA programme youth partners take centre-stage in a vibrant exhibition that showcased a wide range of apiculture products and technologies, including multiflora honey, beeswax, modern beekeeping equipment, and packaging materials.  

It was heartwarming to see all participants buzzing with energy and enthusiasm: youths  interacting, exchanging knowledge and experiences, strengthening market linkages, and exploring promotional opportunities for a youth-led honey production enterprise.