This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Dear RFILC members,
We are pleased to bring to your attention the World Bank report on “Financing Agribusiness in Sub-Saharan Africa: Opportunities, Challenges and Investment Models”. This study examines the financing needs of farmers and off-farm agribusiness enterprises, the role of different actors in catalyzing sustainable and inclusive agribusiness finance, and the mix of financial products and services offered. It uses multiple analytic methods, including targeted surveys of value chain actors, interviews with businesses, and desk research to get an in-depth look at the demand for and sources of agribusiness finance, and to identify constraints, challenges, and gaps based on both demand and supply constraints. On the demand side, data was obtained by interviewing actors in farming and off-farm agribusiness operating in four value chains: cashew in Côte d’Ivoire, maize in Ghana, cassava in Nigeria, and rice in Sierra Leone. Data on the supply of agribusiness financing was obtained from a literature review of agriculture and agribusiness finance; a desk review of annual reports and other relevant documents from 34 commercial banks in four countries, 21 agricultural investment funds, and 21 multinational agribusiness firms with operations in Africa and direct interviews with staff from a subsample of these organizations.
Second highlight is the policy document “Climate smart Financing for Rural MSMES: Enabling Policy Frameworks” that was produced on behalf of the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI) and supported by the BMZ, GIZ and the World Bank Group. This document presents a synthesis of the key lessons and implications of climate change needs and solutions for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in developing countries with an emphasis on the implications for governments and development agencies to consider. It also elaborates policy options for G20 policy makers based on the analysis, evidence from the case studies and the modeling of climate smart MSMEs. These options are designed to help overcome market failures that prevent rural MSMEs’ adaption to climate change and enable them to access climate smart financing.
Finally, the 2nd annual Back to Boulder: Strategic Response to Risk in MicrofinanceMarketsis a one-week programfor senior financial inclusion professionals which will provide participants the opportunity to customize their learning experiences in the areas of: risk governance, enhanced competitiveness and digital financial services.The event will be held from November 27 – December 1, 2017 in Washington DC,United States. For more information click here.
Have a nice reading.
With best regards,
The RFILC editorial team

- Financial Inclusion Summit for Practitioners in Sub-Saharan Africa
- Cracking the Nut 2018: Promoting Agriculture Technology Adoption and Resilience
- Global Savings Groups Conference 2018
- 2nd Annual European Microfinance Summit
- Roundtable: De-Risking and International Remittances – Challenges and Solutions
- 8th Institutional and Technological Environments of Microfinance (ITEM) on Financial Inclusion
- Back to Boulder: Strategic Response to Risk in Microfinance Markets


- The State of Food and Agriculture 2017
- The Role of Islamic Finance in Enhancing Financial Inclusion in Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Countries
- How to support community – based financial organizations
- A country assessment of community- based financial institutions in Eastern and Southern Africa
- Community – based financial organizations: Inclusive rural financial services
- Community-based Financial Organizations: A Solution to Access in Remote Rural Areas?
- A Case Study of Rural Finance Self-Help Groups in Uganda and Their Impact on Poverty Alleviation and Development
- Climate Smart Financing for Rural MSMEs: Enabling Policy Frameworks
- Africa Agriculture Status Report 2016: Progress Towards Agriculture Transformation in Sub-Saharan Africa
- Financing Agribusiness in Sub-Saharan Africa: Opportunities, Challenges and Investment Models