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Kenya will next month host more than 1,000 policymakers, financiers and industry leaders to tackle a $100 billion annual financing gap that is hobbling Africa's agriculture sector, as the continent pushes to transform its food systems from subsistence to commercial engines of growth.
The Financing Agri-Food Systems Sustainably (FINAS) 2026 Summit, scheduled for June 30 to July 2 in Nairobi, comes as Kenya and other African countries grapples with rising hunger, climate shocks and a ballooning food import bill projected to exceed $110 billion this year, according to the African Development Bank. Agriculture contributes up to 30 per cent of GDP in many African countries and employs more than 60% of the workforce, yet receives less than 5 per cent of formal bank lending. Smallholder farmers, who produce 70–80 per cent of the continent's food supply, remain largely excluded from formal financing.
“FINAS 2026 is about moving beyond commitments to coordinated delivery,” said Prof. Hamadi Boga, Vice President of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and Chair of the FINAS Secretariat. “By bringing together policymakers, financiers, and practitioners, the summit provides a platform to unlock capital at scale and translate policy ambitions into bankable investments that reach farmers and agri-enterprises”.
