Financial Access is excited to announce the recent completion of a report on the opportunities challenges for climate-smart agriculture (CSA) investments across four countries in the Sahel region. The study provides valuable insights for investors, policymakers and development practitioners who support the transition to CSA in the region.

The study, carried out by Financial Access and the CGIAR Initiative on Climate Resilience (ClimBeR), analyzed potential agricultural value chain investments in Senegal, Mali, Ethiopia, and and more generally outlined the key challenges and opportunities for CSA investments in the Sahel region. The study documents the experiences and lessons learned by impact investors and identifies priority value chains with potential for investment. The study also provides insights into the hurdles that need to be addressed through derisking and policy measures, such as blended finance, investment facilitation programs and structured pipeline development. Attention is thereby also given to the potential impact of these investments on gender equality and climate resilience.

The study finds that developing successful CSA at scale in the Sahel region requires an integrated public and private sector investment approach based on sound policies and regulations. It documents the experiences and lessons learned by impact investors and identifies high potential investments, the impact of the countries’ investment environment in terms of key challenges and opportunities and sustainable investor preferences in Senegal, Mali, Ethiopia, and Sudan.

See the following website to learn more about our research findings and feel free to contribute to the conversation on how to accelerate sustainable agriculture in the Sahel region:

https://cgspace.cgiar.org/handle/10568/128245.

Financial Access’ Christopher Agyekumhene, Philemon Tetteh-Addo, and William Wathuta co-authored the report along with peers from The Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT.