Africa’s bioeconomy offered significant opportunities to drive resilient economic growth, job creation, trade competitiveness, and nature-positive development. Yet the continent captured only a small share of the final value of its biological resources, with financing, infrastructure, policy, and institutional constraints limiting the development and scaling of bioeconomy value chains.

The session explored how MDBs could help address these constraints and unlock greater private investment in capturing value for nature from Africa’s bioeconomy. It examined the role of finance and infrastructure in enabling competitive, sustainable value chains and networks, from early-stage innovation through processing, value addition, and market development. It also explored how development finance could open new markets and reduce barriers for small and medium-sized bio-innovators, helping them scale from innovation to industry.

The discussion drew on three priority areas of the African Bioeconomy Finance Hub: Data-Driven Biology and Innovation, the Blue Bioeconomy, and Regenerative Land Economies. These illustrated different financing and infrastructure needs and models, while highlighting specific and cross-cutting opportunities for blended development finance and MDB intervention.

Speakers explored the types of capital, infrastructure, enabling policies, and institutional capabilities needed to turn bioeconomy opportunities into investable and scalable businesses, drawing on examples from across Africa where these approaches were being developed or implemented. The discussion also considered how MDBs, DFIs, governments, investors, and other partners could work together to mobilize investment and support inclusive, resilient, and nature-positive economic development across the continent.