By Chintu Malambo
Acting Secretary to the Treasury Nsandi Manza says government is committed to mobilizing additional investments, particularly in green and climate-resilient finance, to ensure smallholder farmers are not left behind amid increasing climate shocks.
Speaking at the Agriculture Finance Conference jointly hosted by the Ministry of Finance and National Planning, the Ministry of Agriculture, and cooperating partner GIZ, Ms. Manza said access to affordable and timely financial services remains a critical barrier for rural farmers and enterprises.
She disclosed that Zambia is finalizing the Rural and Agriculture Finance Strategy 2025–2030, which aims to expand access to finance through tailored financial products, digital platforms, insurance schemes, and stronger public-private coordination.
“The government regards agricultural finance as a critical pillar for the country’s economic transformation agenda,” Ms Manza said.
And Ministry of Agriculture’s Director for Agribusiness and Marketing, Mwendalubi Moono Msoka, said the ministry is scaling up financing in agriculture to transform the country’s food systems in line with the African Union’s Kampala Declaration.
Ms. Msoka said the government has continued to increase budget allocations while implementing reforms to attract private sector investment in the sector.
Meanwhile, GIZ Country Director, Axel Ulmer acknowledged that small and medium scale farmers play a crucial role in Zambia’s agriculture sector and that access to finance is one of the pillars to their growth.
Dr Ulmer however, said small and medium scale farmers face several challenges that hinder their productivity and growth such as limited to access to finance to invest in seeds, fertilizer and irrigation facilities.
“Small and medium scale farmers constitute the backbone and future of Zambia’s agriculture sector and contribute to food security of the country, rural development and the overall Gross Domestic Product.
Many of these farmers face many challenges, among them access to finance which hinders economic growth,” Dr Ulmer said.
He said the German government will continue working with the Zambian government to improve access to finance for the farmers and help create a climate resilient food system.
The conference, held under the theme “Zambia’s Translation of the Kampala Ambition on Access to Agriculture Finance: What is in it for Smallholder Farmers in View of Climate Change?”, is meant to explore inclusive, innovative, and resilient financing solutions for Zambia’s agricultural sector-NAIS
