The Africa Food Systems Forum in Kigali focused on transforming ambitious agricultural commitments into financing that reaches local small and medium enterprises. ^[1] Mohammed Ibrahim, executive secretary of the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF), called for a new financial architecture to coordinate public, private, and concessional capital to accelerate Africa's food systems transformation. ^[2] Blended finance models, which combine public or development funding with private capital, can reduce risk for commercial banks and encourage them to lend more to the agriculture sector. ^[3] Dr. Mallé Fofana, Deputy Executive Director and Head of the Directorate for Green Growth Implementation at the Global Green Growth Institute, stated that international capital struggles to reach local agricultural enterprises due to barriers in business models and financial management. ^[4] Strengthening business models, improving financial management, and developing investment-ready enterprises are necessary steps to help early-stage agri-SMEs become more bankable. ^[5] According to Ibrahim, Africa's agricultural financing challenge is not only about the availability of capital but also the fragmentation of existing resources and the absence of effective structures to coordinate investments. ^[6] Ibrahim spoke during the Policy & State Capability Thematic Plenary titled 'Aligning Investment to Fast-Track CAADP Objectives' at the Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF) in Kigali, Rwanda. ^[7] Ibrahim stated that African countries must move beyond conventional funding of agricultural programmes towards structured financing systems that align investments with national priorities and de-risk projects to attract greater private-sector capital. ^[8]