Seminar
27 February 2025 07:00 — 08:00
Fostering collaboration between international, regional and local PDBs to advance sustainable food systems
On 27 February 2025 from 07:00-08:00 CET (08:00-09:00 SAST), ECDPM, International Fund for Agricultural Development, Cassa Depositi e Prestiti and the Agri-PDB Platform are organising a side event during the Finance in Common Summit 2025 taking place in South Africa.
Venue: Hall 1B, Cape Town International Convention Centre 1 (CTICC1), South Africa
Registration is not necessary but seats are limited, we kindly request that you inform Cecilia D'Alessandro (cda@ecdpm.org) if you would like to attend.
The global food financing gap is growing, and Official Development Assistance (ODA) alone is insufficient to address the crisis. Public Development Banks (PDBs) play a crucial role in mobilizing private investments to drive sustainable food system solutions. Initiatives like the Finance in Common Summit (FiCS) and the G7 Collaborative for Sustainable Food Systems highlight the importance of collaboration among PDBs and Development Financial Institutions (DFIs) to enhance food security, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
Key challenges in food investments include the need for local knowledge, technical assistance, project preparation, risk mitigation, and a comprehensive approach integrating climate resilience and development. Stronger collaboration between international, regional, and local PDBs can leverage their respective strengths—regional PDBs provide local insights, while international institutions offer funding and expertise. However, such partnerships remain rare and require better alignment, blended finance strategies, and joint approaches integrating climate and development goals.
This side event will explore collaboration opportunities between the AgriPDB platform and the G7 Collaborative, identify success factors and incentives for effective partnerships, and provide insights for broader policy discussions, including the upcoming fourth financing for development conference.
Agenda
8:00 - 8:02 - Welcome and introduction by moderator:
Cecilia D'Alessandro, Policy officer - Sustainable food systems, ECDPM
8:02 - 8:09 - Keynote speech:
Federica Diamanti, Associate Vice President for External Relations, IFAD
8:09 - 8:41 - Moderated panel discussion:
Enrico Petrocelli, Head of International Institutional Relations, CDP
Lloyd Banda, CEO, MAIIC Malawi
Shaji K.V., Chairman, India’s National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD)
Nnenna Nwabufo, Vice President for the Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery, African Development Bank Group
Suzanne Taylor, Principal on the Public Policy and Partnerships, FinDev Canada
8:40 - 8:55 - Open discussion
8:55 - 9:00 - Concluding remarks
