Yesterday, 27th April, 2026, we were delighted to join stakeholders in Nairobi for the Financing Agri-food Systems Sustainably (FINAS) 2026 Media Launch, as momentum builds toward #FINAS2026 taking place from 30 June to 2 July 2026 under the theme “Towards a Sustainable Financial Architecture for Africa’s Food Systems.”
The launch brought together leaders across government, academia, private sector, development and philanthropic agencies to spotlight the urgent need for coordinated, data-driven, and scalable financing solutions for Africa’s smallholder farmers and agri-enterprises.
One thread ran through every conversation: financial architectures run on data. Dr. Denis Mujibi, Associate Director SAFIC chimed in the conversation, “Building the digital rails and shared data systems that make farmers visible, creditworthy, and reachable is no longer optional, it is the foundation.”
This is where emerging technologies like AI become transformative. What our work on AI Advisory at SAFIC is surfacing together with our partners is that the unit economics have fundamentally shifted. AI advisory can now reach a smallholder farmer in their own language, on the phone they already own, at a fraction of the cost of traditional extension. The gap is no longer a technology problem. It is a coordination and financing model problem and that is exactly the conversation FINAS exists to advance.
Kenya’s 7.5 million smallholder farmers contribute 20–25% of GDP, yet most have never received personalised farming advice and remain locked out of formal credit, insurance and structured markets. Closing that gap will require financial systems designed around agricultural realities with stronger alignment across policy, data, and partnerships not adapted from other sectors.
At #FINAS2026, SAFIC and Baobab Impact will be co-hosting a dedicated AI side event alongside KUZA an open conversation on the real benefits, the real risks, and the real question facing the ecosystem: will AI be another missed opportunity, or will Kenya lead?
We are proud to be part of this platform driving dialogue, partnership, and action toward a financial architecture that finally works for the farmer.