Part of a US$2.6 billion lending target for 2030 that also earmarks US$600 million for agricultural SMEs
LOMÉ, Togo, 24 September 2026 — Ecobank Group plans to build a US$2 billion loan portfolio for women entrepreneurs across Africa by 2030 through its Ellevate programme. The pan-African banking group announced the target in Lomé during celebrations marking its 40th anniversary. It is part of a combined US$2.6 billion lending target for 2030, with a further US$600 million earmarked for agriculture-focused SMEs and value chains.
Under the expanded Ellevate programme, the US$2 billion is an outstanding loan portfolio target rather than a single disbursement. Ecobank has already supported more than 110,000 women-led enterprises and aims to grow its registered client base to 400,000 formal businesses.
The strategy also aims to create funding pathways for up to one million female micro-entrepreneurs through wider digital onboarding and financial inclusion initiatives. Financing will include unsecured and partially secured credit facilities, backed by guarantee partnerships with development finance institutions. It will focus on sectors such as agribusiness, education and healthcare.
Jeremy Awori, CEO of Ecobank Group, presented the commitment as part of Africa’s next phase of economic development.
“Africa cannot industrialise by financing harvests alone, nor can it achieve its full potential while women face structural capital gaps,” Awori said. He added that by committing US$2 billion to women entrepreneurs and US$600 million to agricultural value chains, the bank intends to make gender-smart financing and food sovereignty the main drivers of African growth.
The US$600 million agricultural target covers the full value chain, from farmers and aggregators to processors, logistics providers, traders and exporters.
The announcement addresses a significant gap. The African Development Bank estimates the financing gap for women-owned and women-led SMEs at US$49 billion, while agricultural SMEs face an estimated annual shortfall of about US$96 billion. It also follows Ecobank’s May 2026 commitment of US$3 billion over three years to finance intra-African and global trade.
Ecobank also plans to use its Single Market Trade Hub to give women-led businesses access to cross-border markets. Through the bank’s digital and payments infrastructure, these businesses will be able to connect with regional buyers and suppliers and use multi-currency payment services linked to AfCFTA trade. Taken together, the announcement makes access to capital, digital financial services and regional market connectivity central to Ecobank’s approach to scaling women-led businesses across its African markets.
By Omkar Kurtkoti
