By SayPro Chief Finance Officer – Toka Keamogetswe
Ladies and Gentlemen, Partners, Stakeholders, Friends of SayPro,
Good morning and welcome to SayPro Agriculture Day 2025!
Today, we gather to celebrate more than just a sector — we celebrate the economic backbone of our continent: agriculture. As the Chief Finance Officer of SayPro, I am honoured to stand before you, not only to reflect on the financial impact of agriculture, but to champion it as one of the most powerful tools we have for inclusive, sustainable economic growth.
Agriculture is not just about soil and seeds — it is about numbers that feed nations. It is about turning investments into livelihoods, transforming budgets into food security, and creating a return on investment that touches every family, every household, and every child.
Over the past year, SayPro has directed strategic financial resources into youth-led agri-enterprises, agripreneurship training, community cooperatives, and digital agri-innovation. We have ensured that every rand spent in agriculture is a rand that multiplies — in jobs, in income, in food security, and in dignity.
We have partnered with funders, donors, development agencies, and government departments to leverage funding that supports smallholder farmers, rural entrepreneurs, and Work Integrated Learning (WIL) interns. Our approach has been data-driven, accountable, and impact-focused. At SayPro, we believe in finance with purpose.
But as we look to the future, the financial case for agriculture has never been more compelling. For every challenge we face — climate, market access, input costs — there is also opportunity. Smart finance, blended capital, and sustainable investment models are the future of agriculture. And SayPro is proud to be at the forefront of designing and implementing these solutions.
To our interns from the University of Johannesburg and many other institutions — you are the financial future of farming. Your energy, your innovation, your commitment will help us build agri-businesses that are not only productive, but profitable and resilient.
To our farmers and community leaders — your daily decisions, your budgeting, your investments of time and effort — are the reason we can talk today about real impact. Your work is seen, valued, and supported.
As CFO, I commit to ensuring that SayPro remains a transparent, efficient, and mission-driven financial partner in agriculture. We will continue to unlock resources, drive innovation, and create opportunities that make agriculture not only sustainable — but bankable.
Let us remember: when we fund agriculture, we fund the future.
Happy Agriculture Day to all.
Let’s invest in growth. Let’s invest in people. Let’s invest in Africa.
Thank you.
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