By Kimuri Mwangi
The Financing Agri-Food Systems Sustainably (FINAS) 2025 officially kicked off at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) in Nairobi, Kenya. The Conference brought together a diverse assembly of African and international stakeholders under the theme: “Taking Ownership: Rethinking Sustainable Financing for Africa’s Food Systems.” The Conference will run from May 20th to 22nd 2025.
While officially opening the event, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development, Mutahi Kagwe, drew attention to the stark funding challenges faced by African farmers.
“Despite the sector’s importance, African farmers, especially smallholders, continue to face a massive financing gap, estimated at USD 60 to 100 billion annually,” Kagwe stated.
He also highlighted the limited role commercial banks play in supporting agriculture in Kenya. “In Kenya, out of the total commercial banks loan-book of US$ 49 billion in 2023, only 3% was lent to the agricultural sector. This is a sad indictment,” he remarked.
Kagwe pointed to the rise of agri-fintech solutions as potential catalysts for change, noting that digital platforms are now offering integrated services such as weather-based crop insurance, digital loans, soil analytics, and input delivery directly to farmers via mobile phones.
“I urge our financial institutions to be more creative and alive to the intricacies of farming as a business. Innovate. In this way, we will be pivoting, and effecting a paradigm shift, to a more inclusive, innovative, and sustainable financing ecosystem. And the key driver here is technology,” he added.
Speaking during the opening ceremony, East African Community (EAC) Secretary General H.E. Veronica Nduva underscored the regional importance of agri-food systems.
“The agri-food systems value chain remains the backbone of the East African Community (EAC) Partner States’ economies providing livelihoods and driving regional growth,” she said.
Nduva emphasized EAC’s focus on digital transformation within the sector. “The EAC promotes digitalization in financing the agricultural sector to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and increase accessibility for farmers,” she stated. She cited the East Africa Regional Digital Integration Project (EARDIP) as a key initiative enhancing rural digital infrastructure and facilitating cross-border transactions.
“EARDIP focuses on increased production, processing, storage, and marketing of agricultural products to achieve food security and eliminate hunger. The Policy also emphasizes on empowering youth, particularly women and vulnerable groups through better access to finance, innovation, technology and land,” Nduva added.
AU Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment, Mr. Moses Vilakati, positioned FINAS 2025 as central to advancing key continental commitments, including the recent Kampala Declaration.
“The urgency to transform our food systems is no longer a matter of choice, it is a necessity. The Kampala CAADP Declaration of January 2025 is our collective response to this urgency,” he stated.
Vilakati called for a new approach to agricultural financing. “We must rethink how to finance Agriculture. Traditional methods to support agri-food systems transformation have failed. We therefore need innovative financing mechanisms that re-risk investments, incentivize sustainability, and empowers smallholder farmers, especially women and youth,” he said.
The conference has drawn participation from a broad spectrum of stakeholders, including farmers, entrepreneurs, digital innovators, private sector actors, and government representatives.
Over its three days, FINAS 2025 is expected to explore critical dimensions of transforming Africa’s agri-food systems, with a strong focus on bridging the financing gap and promoting innovative solutions for inclusive and resilient agricultural development across the continent.
