Yemisi Izuora
The Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI) has launched an initiative to increase its financing of African SMEs.
The Lomé-based banking group announced combined portfolio targets of $2.6 billion by 2030, with the funding split between women entrepreneurship and agricultural value chains.
The larger allocation, at $2 billion, will support Ellever, Ecobank’s program for women-owned and women-led businesses. The group plans to build a $2 billion loan portfolio under the program by 2030.
Ecobank has already supported more than 110,000 women-led businesses and now aims to reach 400,000 SMEs. The group also plans to target nearly 1 million women micro-entrepreneurs through banking and training initiatives, particularly in digital tools.
The financing will support businesses in sectors including agribusiness, healthcare and education. Ecobank also plans to use guarantee mechanisms from development finance institutions to reduce part of the credit risk associated with SME lending.
The second pillar targets $600 million in outstanding loans to agricultural SMEs, reports EcofinAgency.
Ecobank plans to expand its lending beyond traditional seasonal farm financing and cover the entire agricultural value chain, from producers to exporters, including aggregators, processors, logistics operators and traders.
However, these targets remain small compared with Africa’s financing needs. The African Development Bank estimates that women-owned and women-led SMEs face a $49 billion financing gap across the continent. The bank also estimates that agricultural SMEs face an annual financing gap of about $96 billion.
According to Ecobank CEO Jeremy Awori, the strategy reflects the group’s intention to finance the transformation of African agricultural production rather than focus only on farming seasons. The bank will direct part of the financing toward climate-resilient agriculture, digitalization of rural payments and trade finance.
The strategy also aims to support the development of regional agricultural markets and reduce Africa’s dependence on food imports.
Ecobank plans to leverage its pan-African footprint and payment infrastructure to support these objectives. Its digital trade platform already connects more than 60,000 businesses and will facilitate transactions between suppliers and buyers across African markets, particularly as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) expands intra-African trade.
The announcement follows Ecobank’s commitment a few months earlier to provide $3 billion over three years to finance intra-African and global trade. The group unveiled the commitment in May 2026 at the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi. The initiative aims to support African businesses and strengthen their integration into regional value chains.
For Jeremy Awori, these programs should address both access to capital and economic transformation. Ecobank, which operates in 34 sub-Saharan African countries, has made these commitments a key part of its strategy following its 40th anniversary.