World Bank to support Africa’s smallholder farmers with $9bn
The World Bank Group has announced plans to double its annual agribusiness investments to $9 billion by 2030, with an additional $5 billion expected to be mobilised to support smallholder farmers to boost job creation across Africa, including Ghana.
The initiative is expected to open new opportunities for Ghanaian agribusinesses and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to access funding, adopt digital technologies and expand to regional and global markets.
It also represents an opportunity to strengthen its agricultural value chain, attract investment and modernise farming systems to boost productivity.
Global food hub
Speaking at an AgriConnect Flagship event during the 2025 annual meeting in Washington, D.C., the President of the World Bank, Ajay Banga, said Africa possessed 60 per cent of the world’s uncultivated arable land, positioning it as a major global food hub.
He said transforming agriculture into a viable business sector could provide sustainable employment for millions of young Africans, while improving food security and economic resilience.
Mr Banga said the initiative would prioritise access to finance, technology and markets for smallholder farmers, supported by key policy reforms in land tenure, irrigation and rural infrastructure.
He said the World Bank was determined to make agriculture a driver of inclusive growth, ensuring farmers earned higher incomes while rural economies across Africa, particularly in Ghana, thrived sustainably.
“Africa holds 60 per cent of the world’s uncultivated arable land and can boost yields on land already farmed.
Latin America already produces enough food for well over a billion people, but infrastructure is a challenge.
“Across Asia, smallholder farmers manage most farmlands — an enormous base to lift with better technology, finance and market access,” Mr Banga added.
Globally, the president said 500 million smallholders produced 80 per cent of the world’s food, yet most remained stuck in subsistence farming — lacking electricity, storage, training and market access.
“We set out to help smallholders raise productivity and scale; connect them to structured value chains that lift incomes; and guard against exploitation so that farmers aren’t forced to sell land for lack of credit, insurance, or market access.
“At the same time, we have set a target to double our agribusiness commitments to $9 billion annually by 2030—aiming to mobilise an additional $5 billion.
“It is grounded in what we have tested in the field and in lessons borrowed from others.
Steal shamelessly and share seamlessly—that is how we succeed together,” he added.
Focus
Mr Banga further said that the foundation that needed to exist was clear: policy and infrastructure fixes where they matter—land-tenure clarity, seed and sanitary standards, and basics like irrigation, rural roads, storage and power for cold chain.
He said there was the need to focus on smallholder farmers who often lacked essential resources such as inputs, credit and reliable markets.
The president added that producer organisations—whether supported by governments, entrepreneurs, or private actors—could serve as vital links connecting them to suppliers, insurers, buyers and lenders.
“Once productivity and scale improve, cooperatives sell into structured offtake with SMEs or larger firms. Farmers capture more value, lenders see predictable cash flows, and incomes rise.
“Resilience is embedded at the beginning, not added later: heat-tolerant seeds, soil-matched fertilisers and rejuvenation techniques, efficient irrigation, and strong insurance and financing underpinnings, so a bad season doesn’t become a bad year.
And digital is the glue that holds the system together,” Mr Banga said.