This paper identifies and discusses some key issues and challenges in financing agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa. The analysis first reviews recent trends in agricultural financing focusing on both external and domestic sources. The paper then discusses a number of issues and challenges that affect agricultural financing in SSA. The four areas, which show a certain degree of inter-relationship, are: government commitment to support agriculture; the role of public and private sector; emerging aid modalities to agriculture; and financing regional public goods.

The economies of most African countries rely heavily on agriculture and other land and land-based activities such as tourism, mining and livestock production. Indeed, these are the core activities through which African countries participate in the global economy. Moreover, land is key to food security and the social-cultural needs of most communities in Africa. It has also been established that the performance of most sectors of the economies of African countries is indeed tied to that of the land sector.

The United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) at its Sixteenth Session 1. (CSD-16) to be held in 2008, will focus on the assessment of the progress made in implementing programs and actions on sustainable development under the thematic cluster of issues covering agriculture and rural development, land, drought, desertification and Africa.