The pan-African banking group, headquartered in Lomé, will devote this envelope over three years to the financing of trade on the continent. The announcement, made on the sidelines of the Africa Forward Summit and the Africa CEO Forum 2026, is accompanied by unprecedented alliances in agribusiness.
Ecobank has announced the release of US$3 billion over three years to finance intra-African trade. The envelope, unveiled at the Africa Forward summit, is explicitly calibrated to support the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). According to the group, which is headquartered in Lomé, the objective is twofold: to stimulate intra-African trade and to structure cross-border trade flows capable of resisting global shocks.
Alliance with AGRA in agriculture
For the pan-African bank, supporting trade requires the transformation of the agricultural sector, considered a pillar of sub-Saharan economies. In Nairobi, Ecobank formalized a strategic alliance with AGRA (Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa).
The partnership aims to mitigate the risks associated with agricultural financing, through credit solutions for SMEs in eleven African countries, with a priority targeting of women and youth. By connecting Ecobank’s Ellevate banking program to AGRA’s platforms (Value4HER and YEFFA), the institution aims to professionalize the sector from a subsistence economy to an investment sector.
US$35.2 million with Proparco
In the same vein, the group has strengthened its ties with Proparco, a subsidiary of the French Development Agency. An initial $35.2 million guarantee program, based on the ARIZ and EURIZ schemes, has been launched to facilitate access to credit for micro and small agricultural enterprises. Ultimately, this collaboration aims to raise up to $300 million, the group said.
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Diversification into Asian corridors
While continental integration is the priority, Ecobank maintains its international exposure. The bank is targeting the opportunities presented by the intensification of the China-Africa and Indo-African trade corridors. This rapprochement with the Asian markets meets a strategic imperative: to diversify its sources of long-term refinancing while facilitating its customers’ transactions on a global scale.
“Africa’s growth requires large-scale execution. It is capital actually deployed in the real economy, which finances food, livelihoods and local value creation,” summed up Jeremy Awori, Group Chief Executive Officer of Ecobank.
