Keynote Speech By H.E Moses Vilakati Commissioner Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy And Sustainable Enviroment Of The African Union Commsion During The Second Ifc–Fig Africa Agrifinance Client & Partners Event
Theme: Investing in Resilience
31/03/2026,
SHERATON HOTEL, ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA
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Mr. Aliou Maiga, Director, Financial Institutions Group (FIG) Africa, International Finance Corporation
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H.E. Dr. Eyob Tekalign Tolina, Governor, National Bank of Ethiopia
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Representatives of the International Finance Corporation (IFC)
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Leaders and experts from the Financial Institutions Group (FIG)
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Senior officials from governments and regulatory bodies
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Representatives of commercial banks, microfinance institutions, and agri‑finance partners
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Colleagues from development organizations and multilateral institutions
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Innovators from fintech and agritech companies
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Leaders of farm organizations, cooperatives, and the private agribusiness sector
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Members of the research, academic, and policy communities
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Distinguished participants, partners, and friends
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All protocols were duly observed.
It is a privilege to join you for this Second IFC–FIG Africa Agri finance Client and Partners Event. I commend IFC, FIG, and all institutions represented here for creating a platform dedicated to one of the most urgent and transformative priorities of our time: Investing in Resilience.
Agriculture continues to be the backbone of African economies, livelihoods, and food security. Yet the sector faces rising fragilities:
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Climate shocks, droughts, floods, erratic rainfall are increasing in intensity.
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Global supply chain disruptions have exposed vulnerabilities at multiple points.
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High input prices, limited financial services, and weak infrastructure undermine competitiveness.
These pressures make one message unmistakably clear: Resilience must be financed, engineered, and scaled not merely discussed.
Finance is a strategic lever for transformation. Traditional lending models alone cannot meet the new risk profile of agriculture.
We must expand:
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Climate‑smart credit instruments
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Index‑based insurance
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Digital and mobile‑enabled financing
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Risk‑sharing and blended finance vehicles
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Warehouse receipt and value‑chain financing
These innovations are essential to widening access, reducing risk, and strengthening value chains.
Ladies and Gentlemen
Our focus today aligns strongly with the CAADP Strategy and Action Plan (2026–2035) and the Kampala CAADP Declaration, endorsed in January 2025. The Strategy sets a bold vision for building resilient and sustainable agrifood systems and aims to:
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Increase in agrifood output of 45%
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Reduce post‑harvest losses by 50%
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Triple intra‑African agrifood trade
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Mobilize USD 100 billion in investment
The Kampala Declaration reinforces six core commitments—including sustainable production, financing, nutrition security, inclusivity, resilience, and governance and calls on Member States to embed these into national planning frameworks.
Together, these instruments form Africa’s continental blueprint for resilience.
Ladies and Gentlemen
In line with this vision, allow me to highlight my 100‑Days rolling Action Plan, launched as a direct, early response to the Kampala CAADP Strategy and Declaration. Entering office with the conviction that Africa must shift from “perfecting documents to changing realities,” I placed CAADP at the core of my first 100 days, calling for urgent action to reduce the continent’s nearly USD 100 billion annual food import bill and strengthen Africa’s self‑reliance.
The major imported crops making up the USD 100 billion are rice, wheat and maize as well as edible oils like sunflower, canola etc. This also includes the ease of accessing fertilizer through regional fertilizer blending and access to seeds through seed banks. The other area is one of ensuring full employment for the youth.
This plan blends inspiration with technical precision. It operationalizes CAADP through data‑driven actions, including continent‑wide soil mapping, improving fertilizer access, advancing youth employment pathways, expanding digital inclusion for farmers, implementing targeted climate adaptation measures, and unlocking opportunities in the blue economy.
Crucially, the plan calls for integrating CAADP priorities into national budgets and investment plans, ensuring delivery, monitoring, and accountability across Member States. It reinforces a continental movement toward results‑oriented implementation, reminding us that the success of the Kampala CAADP Strategy depends on the courage, unity, and urgency with which we act.
Ladies and Gentlemen
This IFC–FIG platform shows that transformation is a shared responsibility.
We need stronger cooperation among:
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Development finance institutions
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Governments and regulators
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Commercial banks and MFIs
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Agritech and fintech innovators
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Producer organizations and private agribusinesses
Only through strategic partnership can we overcome systemic constraints, high transaction costs, limited data, climate risks and mobilize large‑scale investment for resilience.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Imagine an Africa where:
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Farmers access affordable, climate‑aware finance.
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Agribusinesses withstand shocks and thrive.
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Digital solutions unlock real‑time insights for lenders and producers alike.
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Food systems are competitive, climate‑resilient, and inclusive.
This is not aspirational rhetoric. It is within reach if we jointly commit to investing in the systems that protect and empower our continent.
In Conclusion,
As we begin today’s deliberations, let us carry a shared purpose: to invest not only in agriculture but in resilience, opportunity, and long‑term prosperity for Africa’s people.
I thank you all and wish you a productive and impactful event.
