Opening Hours : Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm
The FINAS 2025 Summit & Exhibition took place from May 20th to 22nd at Nairobi’s Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), convening policymakers, financial institutions, agri-SMEs, farmer organizations, youth innovators, investors, and development partners under the theme “Taking Ownership, Rethinking Sustainable Financing for Africa’s Food Systems.”
The summit recognized the importance of locally driven solutions in agricultural finance, with a strong focus on resilience, inclusion, and long-term sustainability.
The Council participated in raising awareness of WRS, building partnerships, highlighting its role in enhancing commodity trade and sustainability, and demonstrating its viability through interactive exhibits to explore innovative financing models that enhance food security and economic growth through the financial inclusion of youth and women.
During a breakout session, Ms. Lucy Komen, Ag. CEO of WRSC outlined how WRS enables farmers to use warehouse receipts as collateral, easing credit access without land titles, supporting price optimization, and linking farmers to insurance and financing.
Stakeholder feedback reflected growing interest in WRS, with calls for enhanced awareness, supportive policies, certified storage availability and access, and targeted capacity building.
In his opening address, Hon. Mutahi Kagwe, EGH, called for a re-imagining of agricultural finance that places emphasis on local solutions and long-term resilience. Other high-level speakers, including EAC Secretary-General H.E. Veronica Nduva, CBS, and AU Commissioner H.E. Moses Vilakati, highlighted the importance of aligning policy, infrastructure, and finance systems with the needs of smallholder farmers.
The summit featured robust discussions on regulatory and public finance issues, blended finance models, digital and climate finance, agroecology, agricultural insurance, and youth-led innovations, including a hackathon showcasing practical tech-driven solutions.
During the keynote address, Hon. Musalia Mudavadi, EGH, reaffirmed Kenya’s leadership in agricultural finance and announced the upcoming National Agri Investment Platform, which will digitally connect farmers to credit, insurance, savings, and investment services.
In closing, Hon. Dr. Wycliffe Oparanya, EGH, emphasized the need to address the 83% financing gap facing agri-SMEs, citing the sector’s low public funding allocation and urging support for inclusive solutions like MSME Connect and stronger cooperative frameworks.
The FINAS 2025 Summit ultimately highlighted the urgency of adopting inclusive, tech-enabled, and policy-driven financing models to transform Africa’s agri-food systems sustainably.
