The Untapped Opportunity of SUN Business Networks in Food Systems Financing

During the Food Systems Finance e-course, I found myself thinking about the many food system conversations taking place across countries and communities. We often agree on what needs to change: healthier diets, safer food, stronger value chains, reduced pressure on climate and natural resources, and better support for the farmers and small businesses that feed our cities. Yet one issue keeps resurfacing in almost every discussion: financing.

In food safety, nutrition, and value chain development, the constraint is rarely a lack of ideas, but how finance is structured, accessed, and channelled to actors on the ground. In my work in public health nutrition and food systems in Ghana, I often see promising nutrition-sensitive enterprises struggle to scale due to limited access to appropriate financing and partnerships. This raises a recurring question: how do we move from good ideas, dialogue, and commitments to real capital that reaches the people doing the work?

Why SUN Business Networks matter

The SUN Business Network is a private sector platform that supports businesses to improve nutrition in line with national priorities. Active in over 60 countries, these networks bring together businesses, farmers, researchers, civil society, government, and development partners, providing spaces for dialogue, collaboration, and shared learning.

In Ghana, the SUN Business Network brings diverse actors together to discuss nutrition priorities and opportunities. Through my engagement as a member of the network and my contribution to a technical report on Ghana’s food and nutrition landscape, I have seen how these convenings build trust, strengthen coordination, and increase visibility for nutrition-focused enterprises. However, their role in unlocking and coordinating food systems financing remains limited.

Across Africa, micro, small, and medium enterprises develop solutions to improve food safety, reduce post-harvest losses, strengthen value chains, and provide healthier food options. Yet many struggle to scale or grow beyond pilot stages due to limited access to sustainable finance and technical support.

From dialogue to financing real solutions

SUN Business Networks could play a more active role. When food system actors are organised in structured networks, it becomes easier to identify financing needs, clarify priorities, and build partnerships that unlock investment. Networks can also improve visibility and credibility of enterprises often overlooked by traditional investors and financial institutions.

To move from dialogue to financing, SUN Business Networks could intentionally strengthen a few practical functions, including investment readiness support for nutrition-focused MSMEs, pipeline development, partnership brokering with financial institutions, and coordination mechanisms that help reduce risk for private capital.

One key lesson from the e-course is financing works best when public and private actors play complementary roles. Governments can invest in public goods and reduce risk, while businesses bring innovation and scale. Platforms such as SUN Business Networks can help align these roles by connecting enterprises to appropriate financing opportunities.

My main takeaway from the e-course is this: SUN Business Networks have the potential to evolve from convening spaces into platforms that actively support sustainable food systems financing. With clearer priorities and stronger links to finance, they could unlock investments that improve diets, livelihoods, and resilience.

So I end with a question: what would it take for more SUN Business Networks to become spaces where partnerships are formed not only for dialogue, but also for financing real food system solutions?

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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views, policies, or positions of any organisation with which the author is currently or has previously been affiliated.