The National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) has called for a new financial architecture that will coordinate public, private and concessional capital to accelerate Africa’s food systems transformation and fast-track the implementation of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP).
The Executive Secretary of NADF, Mohammed Ibrahim, made the call during the Policy and State Capability Thematic Plenary, themed “Aligning Investment to Fast-Track CAADP Objectives,” at the Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF) in Kigali, Rwanda.
Ibrahim said African countries must move beyond the conventional approach of funding agricultural programmes and embrace structured financing systems that align investments with national priorities, de-risk projects and attract greater private-sector participation.
“We’re continuously trying to move from just funding to a financial architecture,” Ibrahim said.
He explained that NADF’s approach focuses on identifying national priorities, developing credible investment opportunities and strategically deploying public and concessional resources to mobilise additional financing.
According to him, Africa’s agricultural financing challenge is not only about the availability of funds but also the fragmentation of existing capital and the lack of effective structures to coordinate investments.
“We want to see that we are coordinating financial capital because there is sometimes a problem of capital availability, but also fragmentation of capital — that lack of a structure,” he said.
Ibrahim said NADF was working to close these gaps by de-risking agricultural investments and building credible, bankable project pipelines capable of attracting private-sector capital.
He stressed that public resources should be deployed strategically to “crowd in, not crowd out” private investment, noting that a lack of commercially viable projects remained a major obstacle to unlocking available capital.
“If we do not have credible pipelines or the right projects that would attract private capital, then what do we do?” he asked.
The NADF boss also called for stronger data and accountability systems to guide investment decisions and ensure that agricultural financing delivers measurable benefits, particularly for smallholder farmers.
“The first is that we are strengthening data for investment decisions. No investment decision is made without looking at the data and what it shows,” he said.
Ibrahim said agricultural interventions should no longer be assessed merely by the amount of money spent but by their impact on farmers and communities.
“We are pushing for a transition towards accountability for outcomes. So, what has that money changed on the ground?” he asked.
He said the success of agricultural investments should be measured by increased productivity, improved farmer profitability, participation in agricultural value chains, resilience and better livelihoods.
Ibrahim also advocated independent monitoring, evaluation and learning systems to determine what works, identify gaps and generate evidence for scaling successful interventions.
Also speaking, the Director of Adaptive and Equitable Food Systems at the Gates Foundation, Ana Maria Loboguerrero, said philanthropic capital could play a catalytic role by providing patient and higher-risk financing for innovative agricultural solutions before commercial investors come in.
She said such financing could generate evidence, strengthen public-sector capacity and reduce investment risks, making agricultural projects more attractive to commercial capital.
Participants at the forum agreed that achieving CAADP objectives would require more than increased funding, stressing that coordinated financing, credible investment pipelines, stronger accountability and effective alignment between public policy and private capital were crucial to transforming commitments into measurable improvements in productivity, resilience, nutrition, inclusion and regional trade.
