About us

Making African agribusinesses bankable, market-ready and investable.

A Zambian social enterprise building the capability, records and connections that make Agri-SMEs visible to finance and markets.

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The problem we exist to solve

Agri-SMEs aren't excluded because they're unviable — they're excluded because they're invisible to lenders.

Three gaps mean financiers see nothing to finance — even when there is a thriving enterprise behind them. Each one of them is fixable.

Knowledge gap

Limited financial literacy and business management capability — farmers lack the frameworks to plan, document, and present their ventures to institutional lenders.

Data gap

No infrastructure or production records. Without verifiable financial and operational data, there is no evidence base for a lender to assess.

Access gap

No linkages to financiers, markets, and commercial partners. Knowledge and data alone aren't enough without active connections to finance and markets.

The scale of the opportunity · Source: ISF Advisors, 2022

Agri-SMEs in Sub-Saharan Africa
~130K
Agri-SMEs in Sub-Saharan Africa
Annual Agri-SME financing gap (Aceli)
~$65B
Annual Agri-SME financing gap (Aceli)
Of demand currently fulfilled
34%
Of demand currently fulfilled
Of financing demand unmet
66%
Of financing demand unmet

Our solution

The TTL Framework — Teach, Tools, Linkages

One connected journey that closes all three gaps. We measure it by what you walk away with — not by what we deliver.

01 · Teach

Financial & business capability

Structured training in financial literacy, business management, and agricultural competence — building the knowledge foundation that lenders need to see.

What you leave with: Farmers leave with frameworks for planning, recordkeeping, and presenting their enterprise to institutional partners.

Explore the Academy
02 · Tools

Smart digital record-keeping

Digital tools for financial tracking, production records, and business profiling — creating the data trail that makes an enterprise visible to lenders.

What you leave with: Participants leave with a complete Loan Pack, Banking Digital Profile, and Bankability Scorecard.

About the Profile
03 · Linkages

Connections to finance and markets

Panuka connections to funders, markets, and commercial partners across the agribusiness network — turning readiness into real opportunity.

What you leave with: The tools connect funders to farmers, and commercial partners to enterprises that are ready to transact.

Funders & Financiers

Who we serve

Two sides of the same platform

Institutional partners fund and sponsor the places. Agri-SMEs are the direct beneficiaries. There is a place here for both.

A

Who we serve

  • Smallholder farmers
  • Emerging or subsistence farmers
  • Agri-dealers & input retailers
  • Value addition & processing enterprises
  • Youth agripreneurs
  • Women agribusiness owners
B

Who we partner with

  • Impact funders & investors
  • DFIs & Foundations
  • Corporates & mining companies
  • Food suppliers & value processors
  • Humanitarian & CSR programmes
  • International development organisations

How we work

A B2B2C delivery model

Institutional partners sponsor Agri-SMEs onto Panuka. The partner funds the places and receives a verified, bankable pipeline; the Agri-SME keeps the records, the profile and the enterprise.

Partner sponsors

Institutional partners sponsor Agri-SMEs onto Panuka — agreeing the outcomes, geography and scope up front.

Panuka delivers the pipeline

Enterprises are onboarded onto the platform: guided learning, verified records, registration and linkages — delivered as a bankable pipeline, not a course.

Partner receives

The partner receives a verified, bankable pipeline plus outcome data and reporting — all tied to the outcomes agreed at the start.

Two engagement routes

Same delivery model — the difference is the partner's objective.

Grant / donor-driven

Impact route

Partners who come in the form of grant-funded, donor-driven, or community and economic development mandates — sponsoring Agri-SMEs onto Panuka for their beneficiary communities.

  • NGOs, foundations & development agencies
  • CSR programmes & humanitarian partners
  • Government & multilateral bodies
Commercial & agri-finance

Pipeline route

Partners who want to lend to, sell to, or supply Agri-SMEs — using Panuka to prepare a pipeline of bankable, vetted farmer clients.

  • Banks, agri-processors & input suppliers
  • Agri-finance institutions & MFIs
  • Off-takers & commodity buyers

Direct (B2C) individual farmers, agripreneurs, and Agri-SMEs can also access the Panuka AgriBiz Academy directly — without a sponsoring partner — through self-enrolment.

Our services

Four ways to work with Panuka

Every offer is a standalone engagement geared to the same platform. Pricing is tailored to engagement size, geography, and scope — available on request.

PANUKA AGRIBIZ ACADEMY

Academy & Tools

Guided, in-app learning that builds each enterprise's records and Bankability Scorecard. Participants build an AgriVenture Profile — individual farmers, or groups of clients and field-level farmers in your network.

Start learning in the app
AT PANUKA FARM

Agribusiness Bootcamps

Practical, hands-on learning at Panuka Farm — two days of running farming as a business, with the records built there carried straight into the platform.

Explore Agribusiness Bootcamps
BIZ-SHED+

Panuka AgriBiz Growth Challenge

A multi-week engagement where the sponsoring partner stays the active manager throughout. Participants build a complete business readiness journey — ending in an Investment Pitch to a selection of institutional bodies.

Explore the Challenge
LENDER ENABLEMENT

Relationship & Branch Manager Enablement

Equips agricultural bankers, agri-lenders, and loan officers with confidence — building the financial literacy and agricultural fundamentals that bank-side managers need to understand and serve farmer clients effectively.

Available on request

Our story

Built from practice, not theory

We built Panuka because we saw the problem from inside it. Panuka Farm was established under the same conditions faced by smallholder farmers across Africa — limited land, scarce resources, and systemic barriers to finance and markets.

The name “Panuka” means “being clever” in Tonga and “to expand” in Swahili. That's the philosophy.

The TTL Framework — Teach, Tools, Linkages — came from noticing what actually changed things: the training to frame it, the digital tools to track it, and the network to close the gap between farmers and commercial partners. Panuka Farm became a working farm that became a living blueprint for farming as a business.

International Recognition

Documentary

Panuka Farm — A Case Study of Climate Proofed Farming

A documentary on how Panuka Farm was built under real smallholder conditions and became a model for climate-resilient agribusiness in Sub-Saharan Africa.

International Recognition

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris' Visit to Panuka Farm, Zambia

VP Kamala Harris visits Panuka Farm during her historic trip to Zambia — recognition of Panuka's model for helping smallholder and women-led farms become bankable businesses.

Choose how you use Panuka

Whether you are an Agri-SME ready to grow, a funder ready to deploy, or a partner ready to build — find your place here.

For Farmers

Build your AgriVenture Profile and get investment-ready.

Learn moreFor Partners

Sponsor Agri-SMEs onto Panuka for your beneficiary group.

Learn more
Get in TouchGet Started

Ready to start the conversation?

Tell us about your mandate and we will respond within 24 hours with an engagement outline.

Or email us directly: Support@panukaagribizhub.com
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