AGRA Calls for Stronger Inclusive Finance to Unlock Africa’s Agribusiness Potential

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AGRA Calls for Stronger Inclusive Finance to Unlock Africa’s Agribusiness Potential.The need to expand access to inclusive finance for farmers, agribusinesses and other players across Africa’s food systems took centre stage during the 6th National Agribusiness Summit, held alongside the FOODTEC Africa Expo.

Speaking during the summit, Andrew Ahiaku, Head of Inclusive Finance at AGRA, highlighted the importance of ensuring that farmers and agribusiness enterprises can access appropriate and affordable financial services to enable them to grow, invest and participate more effectively in agricultural value chains.

Ahiaku noted that access to finance remains an important pillar in transforming agriculture from subsistence activity into a competitive and commercially viable sector.

He emphasized the need for stronger collaboration among financial institutions, governments, development organisations, private-sector players and farmers to develop financing solutions that respond to the realities of agricultural businesses.

According to Ahiaku, inclusive finance should go beyond simply providing credit, and should also support businesses with financial products and services that enable them to manage risks, invest in technology, expand operations and access markets.

The discussions at the summit came at a time when Africa is seeking to strengthen its food systems, improve productivity and create more opportunities for young people and entrepreneurs within the agricultural sector.

The FOODTEC Africa Expo provided a platform for stakeholders to showcase innovations and technologies aimed at improving food production, processing, value addition and distribution, while the National Agribusiness Summit brought together key players to discuss opportunities and challenges facing the sector.

Ahiaku's participation underscored the growing recognition that sustainable transformation of Africa's food systems requires not only technology and production capacity, but also accessible financial systems capable of supporting farmers and agribusinesses across the value chain.

Stakeholders at the summit called for continued partnerships and innovative approaches that can bridge financing gaps and enable more agricultural enterprises to become commercially sustainable.

The discussions reinforced the message that unlocking Africa's agribusiness potential will require coordinated investment in finance, technology, skills, infrastructure and market access.

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