Global NGO Opportunity International launched their 2025 Global Agriculture Finance Conference, a three-day convening of financial institutions, social impact investors, bilateral donors, practitioners, and researchers.
The conference brought together 26 leading financial institutions and key stakeholders from Sub-Saharan Africa that are investing in smallholder farming families in low- and middle-income countries.
Some of these included Bank of Uganda Governor Dr Michael Atingi-Ego, Opportunity International CEO Atul Tandon, Oikocredit Global Head of Agriculture Investments Anshul Jindal and Agricultural Business Initiative Finance Ltd CEO Mona Muguma Ssebuliba.
The event was the official kickoff for Opportunity’s Agriculture Finance Community of Practice, which will serve as a space for the continent-wide network of financial service providers to learn from each other, access insights and resources on relevant topics, and explore innovative solutions to shared challenges.
Collectively, attending organizations have lent over $500 million USD in agricultural loans, demonstrating a strong commitment to driving sustainable growth in the sector.
Atul Tandon, CEO of Opportunity International shared that if one wants to go far, they need to go together.
He revealed that over the years, they (Opportunity International) have built a continent-wide network of financial partners that unlocks local capital, delivers local solutions, and enables millions to build sustainable livelihoods on their own terms.
“Together, we have released over a million loans to smallholder families—creating a lasting framework at the intersection of finance and impact that is rooted in dignity and committed to a rising Africa,” he said.
Through a partner-rich strategy, Opportunity International’s Agriculture Finance program has equiped local financial institutions with training, support, and resources to better design regionally tailored solutions that strengthen support for smallholder farmers and agribusinesses.
Together, this network of partners has reached more than 1.4 million households across 12 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Smallholder farmers, typically operating farms of five acres or less, are crucial to global food security, producing up to 80% of the food supply in low- and middle-income nations, and approximately 30% of the entire world’s food supply.
Yet, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, smallholder farmers are the most likely population on earth to be experiencing extreme poverty and hunger.
With a global funding gap for small-scale farming exceeding $170 billion annually—$26 billion of which is for African smallholder farmers—expanding financial inclusion is essential to the fight against both poverty and hunger.
Opportunity International head of Agriculture Finance Tim Strong said when farmers thrive, communities thrive and ending extreme poverty will not be possible without solutions that equip and empower farmers.
“I continue to be inspired by the strength that we see amongst the farmers and agribusinesses we support, and I am confident in the collective impact of the leaders joining us at our summit,” he revealed.
The three day conference of intensive discussion, learning, and collaboration, the event explored the most pressing issues facing smallholder farmers, agricultural small- and medium-sized enterprises, and the financial institutions that serve them.
Key topics that were discussed include regenerative agriculture, adaptation and resilience financing for a changing environment, microinsurance solutions for smallholder farmers, blended capital and other innovative finance solutions for the last mile.
In the interactive breakout sessions, participants collaborated in open forums with peers and share best practices, generating innovative solutions that could exponentially expand the impact of agricultural financing for the farmers who need it most.
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