The ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) will be committing 25 percent of its resources over the next five years to social-sector interventions for women and youth, alongside dedicating 32 percent of new commitments to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the Bank announced during the opening session of the Africa Prosperity Dialogue (APD) 2026 in Accra.
Dr. Sydney Vanderpuye, Director of Finance and Accounting at EBID, speaking at the event said, “Over the next five years, the Bank will commit a minimum of 25 percent of its resources to social-sector interventions, with women and youth as the ultimate beneficiaries. We will also dedicate at least 32 percent of our new commitments to SMEs, which are central to building Africa’s single market from the ground up.”
Dr. Vanderpuye described the APD as a platform where “quality, capital, and capability converge”, and said the Bank views the dialogues not merely as a programme but as a working space to align financial resources with practical development outcomes.
He added, “These gatherings allow us to translate aspirations into implementation, from mission statements to transaction pipelines that transform lives and economies across the sub-region and the continent.”
The forum, convened under the theme ‘Empowering SMEs, Women and Youth in Africa’s Single Market: Innovate. Collaborate. Trade’, served as a convergence of high-level policymakers, development finance institutions, commercial banks, and private sector actors to tackle structural constraints in implementing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and expanding intra-African trade.
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According to Dr. Vanderpuye, EBID’s 2026–2030 strategic plan is sustainability-focused and incorporates environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations.
“The plan addresses socioeconomic biases and seeks to enhance support for SMEs, women-led enterprises, and youth-driven startups,” he said.
SMEs account for more than 80 percent of employment across Africa, yet fewer than 20 percent engage in formal cross-border trade, reflecting persistent challenges in access to finance and market integration.
Women entrepreneurs operate roughly 30 percent of registered businesses, while youth represent over 60 percent of the population, contributing disproportionately to innovation but often limited by lack of structured support and capital.
Dr. Vanderpuye also stressed the importance of partnerships: “An all-in approach to SMEs, women, and youth cannot be handled by a single institution or government. We come ready to listen, learn, and partner with governments, fellow DFIs, commercial banks, and private investors to design instruments that truly de-risk SME lending, expand credit guarantees, and crowd in large-scale finance and skill.”
EBID’s previous portfolio included hundreds of millions of dollars in financing for infrastructure and private sector initiatives in West Africa, including lines of credit for SMEs in agriculture, renewable energy, and health.
The Bank indicated that its new strategic plan builds on this record, embedding social-sector objectives and strategic resource allocation into core investment decisions.
The APD 2026, now in its third year, continues to serve as a practical platform where ideas, capital, and policy intersect, facilitating dialogues that align financial commitments with actionable growth strategies for SMEs, women, and youth-led enterprises.
Dr. Vanderpuye expressed confidence that the exchanges over the next few days will shift practical outcomes for the entrepreneurs who are building Africa’s single market.
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“EBID stands committed to moving from aspirations to implementation, and to supporting transactions that transform lives and economies across the continent,” he remarked.
