At FINAS 2026, SAFIC convened a high-impact side event on 2nd July, 2026 themed “Beyond Donor Funding: Sustainable Business Models and AI-Enabled Finance for Africa’s Smallholder Farmers,” bringing together leaders from government, academia, development, technology, and the private sector to explore practical pathways for transforming African agriculture.
Prof. Simon Ndiritu, The Center Director of SAFIC, opened by challenging participants to rethink the agricultural ecosystem, noting that Kenya does not lack technology or innovation. Rather, the real opportunity lies in integrating advisory services, finance, quality inputs, insurance, and market access into a coordinated system that delivers tangible value for farmers.
In his keynote remarks, Amb. Philip Thigo, Special Envoy on Technology, emphasized the importance of building trusted mechanisms for data exchange across the agricultural ecosystem. He encouraged stakeholders to begin with practical, scalable proof points, highlighting food systems as a compelling use case for shared data infrastructure and collaborative innovation.
Moderating the discussion, Richard Migwalla of Baobab Impact framed the conversation around three critical questions:
• Can we meet farmers at their point of need?
• Can we deliver these solutions sustainably?
• Can artificial intelligence improve the commercial equation for smallholder agriculture?
The panel offered diverse yet complementary perspectives:
Sriram Bharatam (KUZA One) underscored the importance of human intermediaries, local languages, and offline delivery channels to ensure AI solutions remain accessible to rural communities.
Benjamin Njenga (Apollo Agriculture) highlighted the need to bundle finance with quality inputs, agronomic advisory, insurance, and market access to create meaningful value for farmers.
Kelvin Njau (Kaleidofin) demonstrated how better data can improve agricultural risk assessment and expand access to affordable finance.
Dr. Girmaw Abebe (Microsoft AI for Good Lab) showcased AI’s potential in crop mapping, drought monitoring, and enabling evidence-based agricultural decisions.
Dr. Denis Mujibi emphasized the importance of connecting advisory services with finance, insurance, and markets to strengthen farmer resilience.
Dr. Betsy Muriithi called for benchmarking, human oversight, inclusive AI systems, and shared digital infrastructure to ensure responsible and equitable innovation.
The conversation reaffirmed that the future of AI-enabled agriculture will not be driven by technology alone. It will require trusted partnerships, responsible data governance, sustainable business models, and farmer-centred innovation that delivers measurable impact across the agricultural value chain.
SAFIC extends its sincere appreciation to all our speakers, panelists, partners, and participants for contributing to this timely and insightful discussion. Together, we are advancing practical solutions that can build more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable food systems across Africa.