ThriveAgric CEO advocates for data-driven agri-finance at Cairo Summit

CEO of ThriveAgric, Uka Eje has advocated for data-driven agro-finance during a high-level engagement in Cairo last week.

Uka joined a distinguished gathering of African Central Bank Governors, including Nigeria’s Olayemi Cardoso, to discuss the future of agricultural funding on the continent.

Participating in a session titled “The Great Debate,” Eje represented the AgTech sector in a critical discussion regarding whether African agrifinance should remain anchored in physical assets or pivot toward digital data.

Eje opened his argument by addressing a stark economic reality that over 95% of farmers across Africa currently lack access to formal financing.

He contended that if traditional, collateral-led financing were a viable solution for the majority, the continent’s financing gap would have been bridged long ago.

Instead, he proposed that financial institutions move away from reactive collateral models and toward proactive, data-led strategies.

To measure farmer performance more accurately and mitigate risk, Eje urged banks to leverage alternative data sets, such as historical production records, cash-flow patterns, weather data, and satellite imagery.

By capturing information throughout the pre-planning, planting, and harvesting stages, he argued that AgTech-bank partnerships could convert agricultural productivity into measurable credibility.

This approach is seen as a vital step in ensuring loan repayment and scaling growth for smallholder farmers, who are often the most excluded from the formal financial system.

The session, moderated by Riadh Naouar of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), underscored a growing consensus that innovation and bold collaboration are essential for a food-secure Africa.

Eje concluded that the momentum for smart capital is building, signaling a future where digital data becomes the primary bridge between rural farmers and the formal economy.