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Kibiwott Kwambai's maize farm in Moiben, Uasin Gishu. The crop is drying up after weeks of drought. [Stephen Rutto, Standard]
More than 1,000 policymakers, financiers and industry leaders opened the Financing Agri-Food Systems Sustainably (FINAS) 2026 Summit on Tuesday morning at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre, with Kenya's Agricultural Finance Corporation featuring prominently as a potential blueprint for agricultural financial inclusion across the continent.
The three-day conference, convened under the theme "Towards Sustainable Financial Architecture for Africa's Food Systems," brings together government officials, development partners, financial institutions and private sector actors to confront an estimated $100 billion annual financing gap in agriculture.
Less than five per cent of commercial credit reaches smallholder farmers, youth-led agribusinesses and women entrepreneurs who produce up to 80 per cent of the continent's food.
