Ecobank Group plans to direct $2.6 billion in lending towards women-owned businesses and agricultural value chains across Africa by 2030, expanding its focus on gender-inclusive finance, food systems and cross-border trade.
The commitment, announced at the bank’s 40th-anniversary media conference in Lomé on September 24, comprises a planned $2 billion loan portfolio for women entrepreneurs through its Ellevate programme and a further $600 million for agriculture-focused small and medium-sized enterprises.
The strategy will be implemented across Ecobank’s 34 African markets, with the bank seeking to expand access to capital, strengthen agricultural value chains and increase the participation of businesses in regional trade.
The targets come as African businesses continue to face significant financing constraints, particularly smaller enterprises and women-led businesses that often lack the collateral, financial records and formal credit histories required by conventional lenders.
Under Ellevate, Ecobank aims to build an outstanding loan portfolio of $2 billion for women entrepreneurs by 2030.
The programme has already supported more than 110,000 women-led enterprises, with the bank targeting 400,000 registered formal businesses and financing pathways for up to one million female micro-entrepreneurs through digital onboarding and financial inclusion initiatives.
A key feature of the programme will be the use of unsecured and partially secured lending, supported by guarantee partnerships with development finance institutions.
Such risk-sharing structures can allow commercial lenders to extend financing to businesses that may not meet traditional collateral requirements while keeping credit risks within manageable levels.
The model builds on Ecobank’s partnership with the African Development Bank’s Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) programme.
Under AFAWA’s Guarantee for Growth mechanism, guarantees can cover up to 75% of the risk on loans to women-led businesses.
The partnership helped Ecobank increase its portfolio of women-led businesses from 9,400 in 2021 to more than 83,000 by the end of 2024, with lending reaching $265 million during that period.
Ecobank’s new $2 billion target represents a substantial expansion of that financing approach. Its success will depend on the bank’s ability to build a large pipeline of viable businesses while maintaining credit quality and reaching entrepreneurs beyond major commercial centres.
The second pillar of the strategy is the $600 million agricultural lending target.
Ecobank said the financing will support the broader farm-to-fork value chain, rather than focusing only on primary production. Potential beneficiaries include farmers, aggregators, processors, logistics companies, traders and exporters.
The bank plans to place particular emphasis on climate-smart agriculture, digital payments across rural supply chains and structured trade finance.
The approach reflects the growing capital requirements of Africa’s food systems. Agricultural businesses require financing not only for seeds, fertiliser and equipment, but also for storage, processing, transportation, market access and exports.
Climate risk adds another layer of complexity. Droughts, floods and changing rainfall patterns can disrupt agricultural production and weaken the repayment capacity of farmers and agribusinesses, making risk-sharing mechanisms increasingly important for lenders.
Ecobank’s strategy also links financing with regional market access through its Single Market Trade Hub, which connects more than 60,000 businesses and provides tools designed to help African companies identify trading partners and participate in cross-border commerce.
That connection could become increasingly important as the African Continental Free Trade Area develops. Access to capital alone does not guarantee successful regional trade; businesses also need reliable payments, market information, logistics, standards compliance and trade finance.
Ecobank’s approach therefore places banking infrastructure alongside lending as part of the wider financing ecosystem required to increase intra-African commerce.
The strategy also highlights the growing role of development finance institutions in mobilising commercial capital.
Rather than relying solely on direct concessional lending, guarantee and risk-sharing structures can help commercial banks enter customer segments and markets where perceived risks have historically limited lending.
For women entrepreneurs, this could help address financing barriers associated with informality, limited collateral and weak financial histories.
For agricultural businesses, the challenge is compounded by exposure to weather, commodity-price volatility and supply-chain disruptions.
The scale of Ecobank’s commitment is significant, but the $2.6 billion is not a single upfront investment.
The figure represents targeted loan portfolios to be built by 2030, meaning financing will be deployed over time based on eligible demand, credit assessments, risk-sharing arrangements and market conditions.
The ultimate measure will therefore be how effectively the capital reaches businesses that have historically struggled to access finance and whether those businesses can convert funding into productive capacity.
For women-led enterprises, this could mean greater formalisation, investment, job creation and access to larger supply chains.
In agriculture, the impact will depend on whether financing helps businesses increase productivity, withstand climate shocks, expand processing and participate more effectively in regional markets.
Ecobank’s plan focuses on commercial finance to address two key challenges in Africa: boosting opportunities for women and strengthening agricultural value chains for domestic and regional markets.
