Ecobank and Proparco have signed a new partnership agreement aimed at mobilising up to €300 million to support agricultural value chains, agro-industrial businesses and women-led enterprises across Africa.
Follow us on Google News
The agreement was announced during the Africa Forward Summit held in Nairobi, Kenya, where both institutions confirmed a renewed phase of cooperation focused on expanding access to finance for African businesses operating within the agricultural sector.
The partnership is expected to run for three years and will target financing gaps in agricultural production, processing, commodity trade and SME growth across several African markets where Ecobank operates.
The deal was formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), with both organisations positioning the initiative as part of broader efforts to strengthen Africa’s private sector and improve food security across the continent.
According to the institutions, the partnership comes at a time when many African economies are facing increasing pressure from rising food prices, supply chain disruptions, geopolitical tensions and higher agricultural input costs.
They noted that agriculture remains one of Africa’s most important sectors, contributing around 20 per cent of the continent’s GDP and employing nearly half of the population, yet financing for the sector remains significantly limited.
Ecobank Group Chief Executive Officer, Jeremy Awori, said the initiative is designed to channel capital directly into areas that can improve livelihoods and stimulate economic growth across African countries.
“Africa’s growth requires execution at scale. Through this expanded partnership with Proparco, we are mobilising EUR 300 million and directing it into agricultural value chains and women businesses supported by our Ellevate programme,” Awori said.
“This is capital at work in the real economy, financing food, livelihoods and local value creation.”
Proparco Chief Executive Officer, Françoise Lombard, said agriculture remains one of the continent’s most underfunded sectors despite its strategic importance to economic development and food stability.
“Agriculture is at the heart of Africa’s future, yet it remains one of its most underfinanced sectors,” Lombard said.
“By deepening our partnership with Ecobank, we are combining our strengths to unlock concrete, large-scale solutions across the entire agricultural value chain.”
She added that the agreement aligns with Proparco’s long-term strategy to support projects capable of strengthening food security, reducing inequalities and improving economic resilience across Africa.
Under the partnership, Proparco will deploy several financial instruments including partial portfolio guarantees through its Impact+ and ARIZ programmes to reduce lending risks associated with agricultural SMEs.
The mechanism is expected to enable Ecobank to increase lending to agri-focused SMEs operating across its network in 33 African countries.
Both organisations said they aim to mobilise up to €100 million specifically for agricultural SMEs during the implementation period.
The agreement will also support agro-industrial businesses through direct co-financing and risk participation structures designed to improve access to long-term financing.
This aspect of the partnership will focus on companies involved in crop production, food processing and commodity value chains, including both staple and cash crops.
The institutions explained that one of the major problems affecting agricultural businesses across Africa is the lack of affordable long-term capital required for expansion and infrastructure development.
Beyond production and processing, the partnership will also focus heavily on agricultural commodity trade finance.
Proparco plans to provide partial risk guarantees to support Ecobank’s financing activities for commodity traders operating across African markets.
According to both parties, this aspect of the programme is expected to improve liquidity within agricultural trade and strengthen food supply systems in different parts of the continent.
The target is to mobilise up to €200 million for agro-industrial firms and agricultural commodity trading businesses.
The partnership also includes support for women entrepreneurs through Ecobank’s Ellevate programme, which was launched in 2020 to support women-owned and women-led businesses across Africa.
The programme provides financial products, mentorship opportunities, training support, networking access and digital tools aimed at helping women entrepreneurs grow sustainable businesses.
Ecobank said Ellevate currently operates in more than 30 African countries and has already supported about 84,000 businesses since its launch.
With support from Proparco, the bank plans to expand the initiative through specialised 12-month training camps focused on business and financial management.
The programme will initially support 400 women entrepreneurs in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Kenya.
According to the organisations, the training initiative will focus on improving financial inclusion, management capacity and market access for women-led businesses while also helping participants develop sustainable growth strategies.
The renewed partnership further strengthens a relationship that has existed between Ecobank and Proparco since 2012.
Over the past decade, Proparco has provided Ecobank with more than $400 million in senior loans, trade finance guarantees, capital market support and SME risk-sharing mechanisms across multiple African countries.
Both organisations say the latest agreement represents a stronger push toward scalable financing solutions capable of supporting economic development, food systems and inclusive business growth across Africa.
