Kenya to host three-day summit on financing agri-food systems starting Tuesday

From 2nd left PS State Department for Agriculture Paul Rono, FINAS Chairman Ratemo Michieka and financial Services Advisor, Presidential Economic Transformation secretariat Moses Banda at Serena Hotel, Nairobi on March 25, 2025. [David Gichuru, Standard] Kenya will, from Tuesday next week, host the 2025 Summit on Financing Agri-Food Systems Sustainably (FINAS) at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) in Nairobi. The summit will build on months of pre-summit dialogues addressing critical areas in food systems finance. It will convene a diverse assembly of African and international stakeholders under the theme: "Taking Ownership: Rethinking Sustainable Financing for Africa's Food Systems." The three-day summit will delve deep into crucial aspects of transforming Africa's agri-food systems, addressing the significant financing gap and fostering innovative solutions for resilient and inclusive agricultural growth on the African continent. The discussions will build upon key action areas identified during the FINAS 2024 dialogue, including inclusive finance, strengthening farmer cooperatives, policy and regulatory environments, de-risking investments, leveraging technology and digitisation, and promoting impactful partnerships. It will officially be opened on Tuesday by the, the Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development Mutahi Kagwe and Paul Ronoh, Principal Secretary, State Department for Agriculture. Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, AU Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment (ARBE) Mr Moses Vilakati from Eswatini and the Secretary General, East African Community Veronica Mueni Nduva will be in attendance. Cabinet Secretary for Co-operatives and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Development, Wycliffe Oparanya, will officially close the summit on Thursday. Keynote speakers on the opening day include Ravi Kiran Malik, senior consultant/advisor on Agricultural & Rural Development Finance (sharing the India experience). Another one will be Brian Milder, Founder and CEO of Aceli Africa, who will discuss the role of the state in developing competitive agricultural finance systems. The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) will deliver a keynote on the Kampala declaration. Breakout sessions on the first day will focus on policy frameworks, the role of the public sector, and regulatory frameworks for unlocking capital flows. These keynotes precede very critical sessions on inclusive policy and regulatory frameworks on food systems financing, led by GIZ, AGRA and Aceli Africa. Day two will center on funding resilient food systems, featuring keynote addresses from Nadine Gbossa, Director of Food Systems Coordination at the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and James Kashangaki from FSD Kenya on innovating finance for resilience. Breakout sessions will explore de-risking investments, building innovative and resilient agri-food systems, and financing resilient food systems with a focus on blended finance, climate mitigation, and infrastructure. The afternoon will include discussions on food systems thinking, agri insurance, and making smallholder farmers bankable. Also scheduled is a hackathon on climate resilience, nutrition, and food loss and waste management. The final day will focus on youth and gender in agriculture and the critical role of technology, data, research, and capacity building. Here, keynote speakers will address disruptive agri-tech solutions and the power of data in agricultural finance. Breakout sessions will cover scaling financial access through technology, digital innovation for value chains, and data as the new collateral. The summit will culminate in an excellence awards ceremony by the Fintech Association of Kenya (FINTAK).

Kenya to host three-day summit on financing agri-food systems starting Tuesday

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