Financing agrifood systems through innovative agribusiness investment: ABF at the FINAS Summit

Scaling what works: Building Agri-finance solutions that last!

The Financing Agri-Food Systems Sustainably (FINAS) Summit 2026 demonstrated how innovative financing tools can move beyond individual programmes and feed into national investment systems that build more sustainable and resilient agrifood systems.

For the Agri-Business Facility for Africa’s (ABF), the Matching Grant Fund (MGF) has been recognised in Kenya’s Country Agribusiness Partnership Framework (CAP-F) platform – an important step towards country ownership, showing how an approach developed through international cooperation can be adapted, adopted and sustained nationally. CAP-F also operationalises Kenya’s National Agrifood Systems Investment Plan (NASIP) by translating its priorities into coordinated partnerships and investable opportunities.

Held from 30 June to 2 July at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi, Kenya, the summit brought together governments, development partners, financial institutions, investors and agribusiness practitioners under the theme, Towards Sustainable Financial Architecture for Africa’s Food Systems.

Discussions at the summit centered on an important challenge: how to mobilise the scale and diversity of finance required to transform agrifood systems in Africa. This is in line with the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Kampala Strategy and Action Plan (2026 – 2035), which aims to mobilise USD 100 billion worth of investments in the agrifood sector.

From country ownership to lasting impact
A major milestone at the summit was the launch of Kenya’s NASIP 2026–2030 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development. The KES 1 trillion investment plan sets out an ambitious vision for transforming Kenya’s agrifood systems and highlights the need for diverse financing mechanisms to mobilise the scale of investment required. Commenting at the launch, Hon. Jonathan Muke, Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development said, “The future of agriculture will not be defined by our challenges, but by the partnerships we build and the investments we make today.”

Through these plans, the MGF approach has been included within Kenya’s CAP-F – a key step towards anchoring an innovative financing tool within the national agricultural system. The MGF helps agribusinesses, farmer organisations, cooperatives and agribusinesses invest in productive assets, technology, processing, mechanisation, storage and market development.

Dr Bernard Agbo, Advisor at GIZ/ABF, presents the Matching Grant Fund (MGF) scheme at the summit

Its integration into CAP-F shows how an approach developed through international cooperation can be adapted to national priorities and sustained through country-led systems. CAP-F provides a platform for coordinating public–private partnerships and developing investable opportunities aligned with NASIP.

Kenya’s experience also offers lessons for other countries. Its approach is expected to inform AUDA-NEPAD’s support to member states developing similar platforms, contributing to the implementation of the CAADP Kampala Strategy and Action Plan.

Financing transformation in practice
At the summit, ABF presented the MGF alongside the Investor Readiness Programme as complementary tools for mobilising private investment in resilient agrifood systems.

The MGF helps reduce the cost and risk of investment by sharing selected investment costs between development partners and private-sector beneficiaries. With co-financing, the mechanism can encourage businesses and farmer organisations to invest where it otherwise may have been difficult to do so.

The discussion highlighted how the MGF can:

• De-risk private-sector investment through co-financing arrangements.
• Mobilise additional private capital alongside grant funding.
• Support agribusinesses to become more investment ready.
• Enable investment in technology, processing, mechanisation, storage and value addition.
• Improve the competitiveness of agribusiness SMEs and farmer organisations.

Winnie Daisy (centre) from Equator Seeds, ABF-Matching Grant Fund (MGF) partner in Uganda, contributes to a panel discussion

So far, the competitive MGF has co-financed 65 agribusiness projects in 23 countries, mobilising approximately €8.7 million to strengthen sustainable cocoa, maize and livestock value chains.

The Investor Readiness Programme complements this support by helping businesses strengthen their commercial propositions, financial management, business planning and engagement with potential investors. Together, the two instruments reduce risk and build a stronger pipeline of viable, investment-ready enterprises.

This combination is particularly relevant to the Kampala CAADP Strategy and Action Plan, which provides a continental framework for transforming Africa’s agrifood systems. By helping unlock private-sector investment and strengthen agribusiness capacity, ABF’s tools contribute to putting this continental agenda into action.

Local solutions with regional relevance
ABF’s participation also demonstrated the importance of South–South cooperation and direct engagement between businesses and investors.

During the AUDA-NEPAD side event on Accelerating Home-Grown Agribusiness Solutions for Finance, Markets and Growth, three MGF partners: KIBMIST-Kenya, Mtengo Wakumunda Enterprise - Malawi and Njabini Wool - Kenya, showcased their businesses to investors. Through pitch sessions, exhibitions and business-to-business meetings, the enterprises were able to increase their visibility and explore potential commercial partnerships and investment opportunities. Their participation demonstrated the practical link between innovative financing mechanisms and the growth ambitions of African agribusinesses.

Sylvester Chabuka from Mtengo Wakumunda Enterprise, ABF-Matching Grant Fund (MGF) partner in Malawi

Localisation ensures that the tools respond to country priorities, market conditions, institutional arrangements and the realities faced by agribusinesses and farmers. Local businesses are potential drivers of innovation, job creation, value addition and more competitive and resilient food systems.

Building a sustainable financial agrifood future
The discussions at FINAS 2026 highlighted the complementary roles of CAP-F and the MGF for implementing NASIP in Kenya and other African countries. CAP-F provides the country-level partnership and policy framework for coordinating priorities, stakeholders and investments. While the MGF provides practical financial support to catalyse private-sector contributions and de-risk investment in agribusinesses.

Together, these approaches can help connect policy, agrifinance, trade and innovation. They support the development of bankable investment plans, improve access to finance and strengthen collaboration between governments, investors, financial institutions, development partners, agribusinesses and farmer organisations.

As African countries work to implement the Kampala CAADP Strategy and transform agrifood systems, the experience of Kenya offers a valuable example of how sustainable transformation is possible through effective frameworks, partnerships and locally owned tools to ensure that investment delivers lasting results.

The Matching Grant Fund (MGF) is an initiative Agri-Business Facility for Africa (ABF) as part of the Joint Action "Business Support Facility for Resilient Agricultural Value Chains", co-financed by the European Union under the Samoa agreement with OACPS and by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by GIZ.

Photo credit: FINAS