AFRACA is happy to announce the strategic partnership with the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, an International Agricultural-based research organization and member of the CGIAR System. Through the MoU signed on 4ème October 2024, The Alliance will work together with AFRACA to support financial institutions (specifically banks and microfinance institutions) in the African region. The collaboration aims to explore capacity development of financial institutions (e.g., improved loan and portfolio level risk and impact assessment/reporting for the agriculture sector), knowledge sharing, mobilization of funds, including sustainable, climate and green finance for financing smallholder farmers and their value chains. Under this MoU, The Alliance and AFRACA will explore synergies to support member financial institutions in the scoping of bankable financing pipeline, in collaboration with member financial institutions co-design and implement relevant blended finance models, and related monitoring and reporting modules, that seek to improve access to capital for smallholder farmers and their value chains while de-risking agriculture lending portfolios of financial institutions.