African Guarantee Fund

05/07/2025

Attention, all Entrepreneurs

The African Guarantee Fund has renewed its partnership with the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry through a landmark USD 500million (KES 64 billion) guarantee framework, earmarked to support Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) across the country.
This Development Program aims to help advance the goal of supporting SMEs and companies by giving financial aid/grants to all deserving entrepreneurs to help them become more sustainable and resilient during the current global economic crisis. Interested individuals/ business entities who wish to be considered for this project financing program are invited to learn more and submit their applications via our portal https://tinyurl.com/8k7mnmpp

26/04/2025

🌱 AGF Supports “Ilala ya Kijani” – A Grassroots Green Economy Initiative Targeting Women-led MSMEs in Tanzania
A powerful convergence of environmental action and women, youth economic empowerment is what the Ilala ya Kijani initiative embodied. Spearheaded by THEA Management, with support from Umoja wa Wanawake Tanzania (UWT), DHL, Taifa Letu Organisation (TK Movement) and AGF, the initiative aimed to empower women and youth through financial literacy, sustainable business management, and the adoption of eco-friendly transport solutions.
The initiative, launched on April 12-13, 2025 in ILALA District, which is the Commercial Capital of Dar Es Salaam, focused on training over 1,100 women and featured:
✔️ Day 1: Tree planting, community engagement, and stakeholder dialogue on financial inclusion, with AGF's Group Director of Capacity Development, Patrick Lumumba speaking on the importance of including women in sustainable initiatives, as they play a critical role in enabling the country to achieve its sustainable goals. He also emphasized AGF’s contribution through its blended financing solutions in supporting such initiatives.
✔️ Day 2: Capacity-building workshops for women groups on:
• Financial literacy & budgeting
• Group investments & access to loans (VICOBA model)
• Green transport entrepreneurship under the “Boda ya Kijani” project
• Climate action and clean mobility
Through the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA), AGF is supporting Ilala ya Kijani to promote financial inclusion and sustainable livelihoods for women and youth. The goal: to equip them with the knowledge and tools to start eco-friendly transport businesses using electric motorcycles – contributing to lower emissions and greener cities.
We are also currently in discussions with Umoja wa Wanawake Tanzania (UWT) to formalize our collaboration through a cooperation agreement, further strengthening our joint efforts in promoting Tanzanian women’s active participation in the country's socio-economic development.
🚀 The Ilala ya Kijani model is set to scale—with potential replication in other regions across Tanzania and AGF is proud to be part of the journey, aligning with our mission to support inclusive and sustainable economic growth across Africa.

26/04/2025

26/04/2025

The World Chambers Federation (WCF) in partnership with the International Chamber of Commerce(ICC) and Kenya National Chamber of Commerce & Industry - KNCCI hosted the premier WCF Africa Summit 2025 in Nairobi, Kenya from 9th to 10th April 2025.
The two-day forum sought to foster dialogue and collaboration around critical themes such as SME growth and financial inclusion; Digital transformation; African economic integration and African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as well as sustainable trade and green economy.
Chambers of Commerce play a vital role in supporting SMEs by providing advocacy, networking, training, and market access, ultimately fostering economic growth and development.
AGF remains steadfast in building strong partnerships with chambers of commerce across Africa, to unlock SME potential and enable broader financial inclusion, job creation, and economic resilience on the continent.

26/04/2025

Earlier today, AGF Group CEO Jules Ngankam spoke on a panel titled Scaling Finance for Smallholder Farmers in Africa during the High-level Conference on Financing Smallholder Farmers. The Conference is a collaborative initiative organized by the African Development Bank Group and the Pan African Farmers Organisation (PAFO), hosted by the Kenyan Government. The two-day event was a platform to address the significant financing challenges faced by Africa's small-scale farmers, who are crucial to the continent's food security and economic development.
In the discussions, Jules echoed the importance of leveraging financing already within Commercial Banks to enhance financial access for smallholder farmers across Africa. Currently, the lending portfolio of these banks only allocates 6% to the agricultural sector, yet agribusinesses contribute over 30% of Africa's GDP.
Some of the challenges that impede small-scale farmers from accessing finance include the lack of collateral; information gap; short-term resources against long-term investment and mismatch with banks' product offerings.
Key takeaways from the session:
- Innovative Financing Models: Exploring tailored financial products beyond traditional loans to meet the unique needs of small-scale farmers.
- Risk Mitigation Strategies: Implementing agriculture-specific de-risking mechanisms to cushion banks' lending risks and protect farmers against climate-related adversities.
- Strengthening Public-Private Partnerships: Collaborating with governments, banks, and development institutions to create a supportive ecosystem for agricultural financing.
- Capacity Building Initiatives: Providing technical assistance to farmers to enable them become bankable and access markets.
The conference underscored the critical role of smallholder farmers in Africa's food security and the urgent need to bridge the USD 75 billion annual financing gap they face. AGF remains committed to empowering these farmers through innovative financial solutions and strategic partnerships.
🔗 Missed the session? Watch the full discussion here: https://lnkd.in/dVU3eiX8

26/04/2025

As the world continues celebrating International Women's Month, AGF was delighted to host a team from Clean Start Africa for an eye-opening and inspiring session on empowering second chances for women.
Clean Start is an award-winning social enterprise that is transforming lives by supporting formerly imprisoned women to rebuild their futures, and we are proud to stand alongside them in their journey.
We heard firsthand from some of the women who are currently being supported by Clean Start. Their powerful testimonials painted a raw and moving picture of the challenges they faced, the stigma they endure and the resilience they embody as they rebuild their lives.
This engaging session was a wake-up call on the urgent need for action, shedding light on the socio-economic injustices that often lead women into incarceration—such as the inability to pay minor fines. These disparities call for systemic reforms and economic empowerment, and Clean Start Africa is at the forefront of this mission.
💡 Key Takeaways:
🔹 Women make up a very small portion of Africa’s prison population, yet their struggles are often overlooked.
🔹 Many women face imprisonment not for criminal intent, but due to financial hardships.
🔹 Bridging the gap between rehabilitation, reform, and reintegration is essential for creating lasting change.
As a call to action, AGF heartily donated USD 20,000 to Clean Start Africa, reinforcing our commitment to gender equality and sustainable impact. The donation will go a long way to support their Charcoal Briquette Project, which not only provides the women with a sustainable income source, but also promotes environmental conservation, which is well in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.
A special thank you to our incredible AGF colleagues for the warm engagement and contributions. And because action is best fueled by community and connection, their participation was the perfect way to celebrate a shared purpose!

26/04/2025

AGF and Société de Garantie du Gabon - SGG have signed a re-guarantee agreement for USD 10 million. This facility will enable the Gabonese guarantee fund to improve access to credit for local SMEs, women entrepreneurs and green financing through its network of partner banks and microfinance institutions.
The signing of this agreement is the latest milestone in a strategic partnership between the two guarantee funds, which began with the inception of SGG, and which AGF helped to make operational.
This agreement is expected to leverage the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) initiative through the AFAWA Guarantee for Growth program. With this, targeted financial support will be accorded to women-led and women-owned businesses, thereby fostering gender inclusion in Gabon’s business landscape.
Businesses operating in the green sector will also benefit from increased financing backed by AGF's Green Guarantee Facility. In addition, AGF and SGG are currently structuring a capacity development assistance program to enhance financial institutions' technical approach towards financing businesses.
The agreement was officially signed in Nairobi and was officiated by AGF Group CEO, Jules Ngankam and Société de Garantie du Gabon's CEO, Alban Etho.
Read more: https://rb.gy/e1thig

26/04/2025

At the ongoing , African Guarantee Fund has announced the launch of the Local Currency Guarantee Facility—an initiative that seeks to mobilize USD 5 billion for energy access projects across Africa. This facility aims to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Distributed Renewable Energy (DRE) sector.
Key highlights of the facility include:
💵Supporting local currency financing: Addressing currency mismatches and high collateral requirements, thereby boosting the confidence of financial institutions to lend to DRE projects.
♻️Driving green energy investments: Building on AGF’s success with the Green Guarantee Facility, which has mobilized financing for renewable energy projects and promoted electrification in rural and peri-urban areas.
⚖️Strengthening financial inclusion: De-risking SME lending and fostering public-private partnerships to accelerate Africa’s energy transition.
AGF’s leadership in leveraging guarantees and capacity-building programs underscores its commitment to advancing Africa’s energy transformation while reducing carbon emissions and enhancing climate resilience.
The new facility will play a critical role in the broader Mission 300 initiative led by the African Development Bank Group and the World Bank to provide electricity to 300 million Africans by 2030.

Read more: https://rb.gy/yzpelu

26/04/2025

African Guarantee Fund and of industry ( B O I). are at the forefront of steering Africa's economic growth following our signing of a USD 50 million risk-sharing framework.
Key highlights of the partnership:
✅ First tranche of USD 15 Million to be issued at the onset, with the transaction phased over three tranches in 10 years.
✅ By leveraging AGF's expertise in risk-mitigation and BOI's extensive experience in Nigeria's development finance, the bank will be able to enhance its lending capacity and support SMEs, with the aim of unlocking USD 100 million in new loans to support SME growth in the country.
✅ This partnership is also backed by the African Development Bank Group’s Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) initiative, which will activate the bank’s value-added propositions targeting women-owned/led businesses.
✅ AGF and BOI are currently structuring a Capacity Development Assistance for both BOI and its beneficiary SMEs. This will enable the bank develop and implement a comprehensive Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Framework and on the other hand ensure SMEs have the requisite skills to adequately manage their business and therefore qualify for increased financing.
This collaboration aligns with AGF's mission to unlock financing for SMEs and BOI's mandate to catalyze Nigeria's industrialization and economic transformation. The signing ceremony took place on the sidelines of the Africa Investment Forum in Rabat, Morocco.

26/04/2025

We are delighted to be a part of the IFU Seminar on strengthening diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). The event, hosted by the Investment Fund for Developing Countries and Danish Family Planning Association, will feature expert insights on sharing best practices, business strategies and viable solution to enhance the approach to diversity and inclusion.
Our Group Director of Capacity Development, Patrick Lumumba, will speak on “The Business Case and the Gains – Strengthening Women Entrepreneurs” This will highlight how empowering women in business drives economic growth and strengthens inclusive financial ecosystems in Africa.

26/04/2025

We recently embarked on a strategic partnership with National Chamber of Commerce & Industry - KNCCI, to steer growth of SMEs in Kenya and beyond. The main aspects of the Cooperation Agreement signed include:
➙ Strengthening the business ecosystem by developing platforms for networking, collaboration and business opportunities.
➙ Offering credit guarantees for funds raised on behalf of green SMEs, women and youth entrepreneurs, blue and marine economy as well as agriculture.
➙ Availing capacity development programs to address technical gaps facing SMEs.
By combining KNCCI's expertise on addressing systemic challenges in Africa's SME landscape and AGF's AA- rated guarantees, coupled with capacity development programs, this collaboration will address the Kenyan SME value chain, creating a robust ecosystem that empowers SMEs.
This partnership will play a pivotal role in enhancing trade, fostering a favorable business environment which will create an avenue for wealth generation and job creation.
Read more: https://t.ly/s5zib