AFRACA-NIRSAL masterclass opens in Lagos, builds financial institutions’ capacity for climate, AI-driven agricultural finance - NaijaAgroNet

The African Rural and Agricultural Credit Association (AFRACA), in partnership with NIRSAL Plc, has convened finance professionals from across Africa for a week-long Masterclass in Lagos focused on inclusive climate finance and artificial intelligence integration for agricultural lending, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The capacity-building initiative brings together delegates from central banks, commercial banks, development finance institutions, microfinance banks, and insurance companies across Nigeria, Uganda, Ghana, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Kenya.

De-Risking Agricultural Capital Flows Delivering the welcome address on behalf of NIRSAL Plc Managing Director/CEO Sa'ad Hamidu, Executive Director of Operations Ewaen Imohe emphasized that agricultural underfinancing in Sub-Saharan Africa stems from unmanaged perception of risk rather than a lack of market opportunity.

NIRSAL's intervention through structured risk-sharing frameworks continues to drive commercial lending into agricultural value chains. Building on over ₦100 billion in approved Credit Risk Guarantees (CRG) in 2025, NIRSAL has surpassed that milestone in 2026 year-to-date. Notably, non-interest financial institutions accounted for over 50 percent of NIRSAL-guaranteed loans in the first half of 2026, demonstrating expanded capital participation across diverse financial models.

AFRACA Secretary-General Ms. Ngo Bakang Anny Caroll noted the vital responsibility of financial institutions as allocators of capital to strengthen Africa's food self-sufficiency and global competitiveness amid escalating climate pressures.

The Masterclass addresses two core thematic tracks including

Climate Resilience: Led by experts including Dr. Chris Myungu from the Alliance of Bioversity International & CIAT (CGIAR), participants are leveraging tools like the Africa Adaptation Atlas to translate climate data into actionable risk assessments, green-project structuring, and bankable adaptation projects.


Artificial Intelligence Applications: Financial institutions are exploring AI implementation to refine risk analysis, improve transaction screening, and complement blended finance mechanisms for agribusiness scaling across the continent.