CFC and Kenya Discuss Opportunities to Strengthen Commodity Value Chains and Expand Access to Finance
The Hague, 8 September 2026 - Ambassador Sheikh Mohammed Belal, Managing Director of the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC), paid a courtesy call on H.E. Hon. Halima Mucheke, Ambassador of the Republic of Kenya to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, for discussions on Kenya’s diverse commodity sectors, access to finance, agricultural transformation and opportunities to strengthen inclusive value chains.
The meeting provided an opportunity to exchange views on Kenya’s broad commodity base, including coffee, tea, dairy, teff, nutraceuticals and other agricultural products, and on how greater access to finance can help farmers, cooperatives and businesses move further up the value chain.
Ambassador Belal highlighted the CFC's role as the world's only intergovernmental financial institution dedicated exclusively to commodities and commodity-dependent developing countries. He noted that Kenya’s diversified commodity economy presents significant opportunities for investment, particularly in businesses that can connect smallholder producers to markets, strengthen processing and create greater value locally.
“When I look at Kenya, I don't just see coffee and tea. I see farmers producing hundreds of different things, from dairy to medicinal plants and nutraceutical products, and I see businesses trying to turn those commodities into something more valuable. My concern is always the same: how do we make sure the farmer at the beginning of that chain is not forgotten?” — H.E. Mr. Sheikh Mohammed Belal, Managing Director, CFC
Kenya’s experience with the CFC already demonstrates this potential. The Fund has supported projects across Kenyan commodity value chains, including avocado, oilseeds and other. In one earlier project, CFC financing supported the expansion of a Kenyan fortified-food business, including investment in processing and storage infrastructure linked to smallholder farmers.
The meeting also explored opportunities to build on Kenya’s existing commodity strengths while identifying new areas where value addition could generate additional income and employment. Coffee and tea remain important examples, but opportunities also exist in dairy, nutraceuticals, horticulture and other agricultural value chains where Kenyan enterprises can move from supplying raw commodities towards processing, branding and higher-value markets.
Ambassador Mucheke expressed Kenya’s strong commitment to the initiative and called for deeper CFC investment in Kenya to help smallholders increase their incomes. Kenya has also played an active role in bringing greater attention to the relationship between commodity value chains and smallholder incomes.
A particularly strong example discussed during the meeting was the CFC’s investment in Shalem Investments in Kenya, which demonstrates how financing can connect commodity production, food security and smallholder incomes. With CFC financing, Shalem moved beyond its role as a grain aggregator and invested in storage and processing facilities, enabling it to process locally sourced grains, including sorghum and millet, into nutritious, fortified products for low-income consumers.
The investment helped create a more stable and reliable market for smallholder farmers while making nutritious food more accessible to communities. Now, Shalem was working with more than 50,000 smallholder farmers, and the company’s value-added products accounted for a substantial share of its revenues.
“Kenya values its partnership with the CFC and supports its continued efforts to put commodities and the people behind them at the centre of development. We see significant opportunities to deepen this cooperation across Kenya’s coffee, tea, dairy, nutraceutical and other commodity sectors.”
— H.E. Hon. Halima Mucheke, Ambassador of the Republic of Kenya
The meeting concluded with both sides expressing appreciation for the constructive exchange and welcoming continued engagement between Kenya and the CFC. Both sides recognized the potential to deepen cooperation across Kenya’s diverse commodity sectors, expand access to finance and technical assistance, strengthen value addition, and ensure that more of the value created by commodities reaches farmers, SMEs and local communities.
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About the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC)
The CFC is an UN-affiliated international financial institution based in Amsterdam, working in over 100 countries to support inclusive economic development through impact investing in commodity value chains.
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