Ecobank, the leading pan-African banking group, has announced a combined USD 2.6 billion targeted lending commitment by 2030 to fuel two of Africa’s most strategic economic growth engines: women-owned businesses and agricultural value chains.
The landmark announcements were unveiled during the Ecobank@40 Media Conference in Lomé, marking the strategic culmination and official conclusion of the Group’s 40th anniversary year.
As the Group brings its milestone anniversary year to a close, it is leveraging this momentum to launch its next phase of growth, economic transformation, and sustainable impact across its 34 African markets.
“We are using the conclusion of our 40th anniversary as a strategic launchpad for Africa’s next economic chapter,” said Jeremy Awori, CEO of Ecobank Group. “Africa cannot industrialise by financing harvests alone, nor can it achieve its full potential while women face structural capital gaps. By committing USD 2.0 billion to women entrepreneurs and USD 600 million to agricultural value chains, we are turning gender-smart financing and food sovereignty into the primary engines of African growth.”
USD 2.0 billion to transform women-led enterprises via Ellevate
Under its flagship program, Ellevate by Ecobank, the Group commits to building an outstanding loan portfolio of USD 2.0 billion dedicated to women entrepreneurs by 2030. Building on over 110,000 women-led enterprises already supported, Ecobank will scale its registered client base to 400,000 formal businesses. By expanding digital onboarding and financial inclusion initiatives, the strategy will unlock funding pathways for up to 1 million female micro-entrepreneurs across the continent.
The expanded Ellevate framework will deploy unsecured and partially secured credit facilities, backed by strategic DFI guarantee partnerships, with a targeted focus on high-impact sectors including agribusiness, education, and healthcare.
USD 600 million to power “Farm-to-Fork” agribusiness SMEs
To accelerate continental food sovereignty and industrialisation, Ecobank has committed USD 600 million in outstanding loans dedicated exclusively to Agric-focused SMEs by 2030.
Moving beyond seasonal harvest financing, this initiative targets the complete “Farm-to-Fork” ecosystem – funding farmers, aggregators, processors, logistics providers, traders, and exporters.
The agribusiness strategy prioritises climate-smart agriculture, digital payment channels across rural supply chains, and structured trade finance designed to reduce Africa’s dependence on food imports while building resilient regional food markets.
Unlocking continental scale and market access
Central to both commitments is the Ecobank Single Market Trade Hub, a digital marketplace connecting over 60,000 businesses across Africa. Through the Trade Hub and Ecobank’s unified pan-African payment infrastructure, female agripreneurs and commercial SMEs will gain direct access to cross-border buyers, suppliers, and seamless multi-currency payment rails under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
To deliver sustainable impact, Ecobank will execute these ambitions across four core strategic pillars:
- Expanded credit & de-risking: scaling working capital, trade loans, and investment financing supported by DFI guarantee schemes and risk-sharing facilities.
- Cross-border trade & AfCFTA acceleration: connecting agricultural producers and women entrepreneurs directly to regional supply chains via the Ecobank Single Market Trade Hub.
- Digitalisation of value chains: deploying seamless digital payment, collection, and micro-lending tools to formalise small businesses and improve transactional transparency.
- Capacity building & ESG integration: delivering specialised business management, export readiness, leadership, and sustainable agricultural training.
These commitments reinforce Ecobank’s founding vision established 40 years ago in Lomé: an African bank, built by Africans, driving the economic development and financial integration of the continent.
