The African Rural and Agricultural Credit Association (AFRACA), in partnership with NIRSAL Plc and other development stakeholders, has launched a week-long pan-African masterclass in Lagos to train financial-sector leaders on financing climate-resilient agriculture and deploying artificial intelligence (AI) in risk management.
Opened on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, the program brings together delegates from central banks, commercial lenders, microfinance institutions, and development finance agencies across Nigeria, Uganda, Ghana, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Kenya.
Addressing delegates, AFRACA Secretary-General Ms Ngo Bakang Anny Caroll emphasised that severe climate variability continues to disrupt agricultural production and pressure food systems across Africa.
She noted that financial institutions must act as strategic allocators of capital to build sustainable regional food security.
Delivering the opening address on behalf of NIRSAL Managing Director/CEO Sa’ad Hamidu, Executive Director of Operations Ewaen Imohe stated that sub-Saharan Africa’s agricultural sector is not underfinanced due to a lack of opportunities, but because perceived risks are poorly understood, measured, and priced.
NIRSAL revealed that its structured risk-sharing frameworks enabled the approval of Credit Risk Guarantees for agricultural loans exceeding N100 billion in 2025, a benchmark already surpassed in 2026.
Notably, non-interest financial institutions accounted for over 50 per cent of loans guaranteed by NIRSAL in H1 2026. To enhance technical capacity, Dr Chris Myungu from the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT (CGIAR) presented tools such as the Africa Adaptation Atlas to integrate climate data into portfolio assessments.
Furthermore, the masterclass focuses on practical AI integration alongside blended finance and grants to automate credit profiling, improve transaction analysis, and accelerate capital deployment to smallholder value chains.
Source: MSME Africa
Image Credit: BusinessDay
