• • On the occasion of the Africa Forward Summit, co-organised by France and Kenya in Nairobi on 11–12 May, Proparco and Ecobank Group mark a new milestone in a long-standing partnership, entering a new phase of strategic cooperation to support Africa’s private sector.


• • The two institutions signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to accelerate financing across agricultural value chains, positioning Ecobank as a pioneering pan-African platform, supported by Proparco’s financial instruments.


• • Through this MoU, the two partners aim to catalyse up to EUR 300 million over three years, addressing critical gaps across agricultural production, processing and trade.


• • Proparco and Ecobank also signed a commitment letter with the view to supporting Ecobank’s upcoming capacity building program as part of its Ellevate initiative to support women entrepreneurs in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Kenya (see box below).

Proparco and Ecobank today announce a new stage in their decade-long partnership, built on a shared ambition to strengthen Africa’s private sector and financial ecosystem. Since 2012, Proparco has supported Ecobank through a wide range of instruments, including over USD 400 million in senior loans, landmark capital market transactions, trade finance guarantees and SME dedicated risk sharing mechanisms across multiple African markets. With a constant objective: enabling Ecobank to scale up its impact-driven ambitions and deliver a tangible impact for businesses and the communities they serve across the continent.

This renewed partnership reflects a shared commitment to deliver scalable, high-impact financing solutions across the continent, leveraging Ecobank’s unique pan-African footprint and Proparco’s capacity to mobilise diversified financial tools in support of sustainable and inclusive growth.

Jeremy Awori, Chief Executive Officer of Ecobank Group, said:

“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. This is capital at work in the real economy, financing food, livelihoods and local value creation.”

Françoise Lombard, Chief Executive Officer of Proparco, added: “Agriculture is at the heart of Africa’s future, yet it remains one of its most underfinanced sectors. By deepening our partnership with Ecobank, we are combining our strengths to unlock concrete, large-scale solutions across the entire agricultural value chain. This agreement reflects Proparco’s commitment to supporting transformative private sector initiatives that strengthen food security, build resilience and reduce inequalities, including gender inequalities, in line with our 2023–2027 strategy.”

In a context of global crises and rising agricultural pressures, Ecobank and Proparco forge a pioneering partnership to unlock agricultural finance at scale

Ongoing geopolitical tensions, particularly in the Middle East, rising energy prices, higher input costs, particularly fertilizers, and global supply chain disruptions are further straining food systems, with sustained high prices potentially driving tens of millions into acute food insecurity in East and West Africa. Against this backdrop, scaling agricultural finance is both an economic and strategic imperative.

As food security pressures intensify across Africa and agricultural finance remains structurally insufficient, despite the sector accounting for around 20% of GDP and nearly half of employment, Proparco and Ecobank are joining forces to scale up targeted solutions across the agricultural value chain.

Through this MoU, the two partners aim to catalyse up to EUR 300 million over three years, addressing critical gaps across agricultural production, processing and trade.

Supporting agricultural SMEs across Africa

Access to finance remains a major constraint for agricultural SMEs. To address this, Proparco will deploy partial portfolio guarantees, notably through its Impact+ and ARIZ programs, to reduce Ecobank’s risk exposure on its agri-SME lending activities.

This mechanism will enable Ecobank to significantly scale up its financing to agricultural SMEs across 33 African countries, with a joint objective of mobilising up to EUR 100 million over three years.

Scaling up agro-industrial investment

To tackle the structural lack of long-term financing in agro-processing, Proparco and Ecobank will collaborate on direct co-financing and risk participation structures.

This partnership will support agro-industrial companies across key value chains, including staple crops and cash crops, enabling both long-term investment and working capital financing.

Boosting agricultural commodity trade finance

Recognising the critical role of trade finance in ensuring food availability and supporting rural incomes, Proparco will provide a partial risk guarantee to enhance Ecobank’s lending to agricultural commodity traders.

Through dedicated facilities, the partnership aims to expand liquidity for key agricultural commodities, with a targeted mobilisation of up to EUR 200 million across agro-industrials and agro-commodities trading companies.

Jeremy Awori, Ecobank Group CEO, and Françoise Lombard, CEO of Proparco, during the signing of the MoU between Ecobank and Proparco

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Media Contacts

Proparco

Christoph Haushofer

haushoferc@proparco.fr

Tél +33 6 51 23 11 35

Ecobank Transnational Incorporated

Christiane Bossom

groupcorporatecomms@ecobank.com

Tel +228 22 21 03 03

About Proparco in Africa

Africa is at the heart of Proparco’s strategy. For nearly 50 years, Proparco has been working alongside the African private sector to accelerate sustainable and inclusive development. This commitment is concretely reflected across the continent through a network of six regional offices and five local branches. Between 2022 and 2025, Proparco committed more than €4.6 billion across Africa, representing over €1.1 billion per year during this period. On the African continent, Proparco finances high-impact, job-creating projects in the following areas: sustainable infrastructure, sustainable industry, agriculture and agribusiness—particularly to strengthen the continent’s food sovereignty, notably through the FARM initiative; support for the local economic fabric, especially entrepreneurs and local SMEs, by strengthening financial institutions through Choose Africa; and the development of high-quality essential goods and services. Proparco provides financing solutions tailored to business needs, enhanced technical assistance through Propulse, as well as dedicated support for innovation via Digital Africa, its subsidiary focused on early-stage startups. More information: http://www.proparco.fr | LinkedIn

About Ecobank Group

Ecobank Group is the leading private pan-African banking group with unrivalled African expertise. Present in 34 sub-Saharan African countries, as well as France, the UK, UAE and China, its unique pan-African platform provides a single gateway for payments, cash management, trade and investment. The Group employs over 14,000 people and offers Consumer, Commercial, Corporate and Investment Banking products, services and solutions across multiple channels, including digital, to over 32 million customers. For further information, please visit www.ecobank.com