Cameroonian Cyrille Nkontchou’s Enko Education secures $22 million from Standard Bank for African expansion

Enko Education, the pan-African K-12 education group founded by Cameroonian entrepreneur Cyrille Nkontchou and Eric Pignot, has received a $22 million debt package from Standard Bank to support its continental expansion and acquisition strategy. The funding underscores the bank’s commitment to backing scalable, high-impact African businesses.

Tailored financing for growth
Acting as the sole mandated lead arranger and lender, Standard Bank structured a multi-currency facility designed to accelerate Enko Education’s acquisition pipeline and long-term growth ambitions. The deal enables the expansion of Enko’s network of International Baccalaureate and Cambridge-accredited schools across 10 African countries, strengthening access to high-quality, globally recognised education.

The facility will support the acquisition of additional schools across the continent and the enhancement of education infrastructure in multiple African markets for Enko Education, which recently closed a $46 million fundraising round, to help more African learners gain entry to top universities around the world.

This structured facility by Standard Bank highlighted its ability to deploy capital across jurisdictions and currencies, offering innovative funding solutions for complex cross-border transactions.

Driving Africa’s education infrastructure
Enko Education’s model focuses on creating sustainable, future-ready institutions that provide African students with pathways to global universities. By financing the group’s expansion, Standard Bank is contributing to the development of a robust, continent-wide education platform that widens opportunities and builds resilient educational ecosystems.

Strategic strengths
The transaction demonstrates Standard Bank’s structuring agility, cross-border collaboration, balance sheet capacity, and deep African expertise. Teams across South Africa, Kenya, Mauritius, and the Isle of Man coordinated seamlessly to deliver a solution aligned with Enko’s strategic priorities, combining local insight with international capability.

Partnering for sustainable growth
Founded in 2013 by Eric Pignot and Cameroonian entrepreneur Cyrille Nkontchou, brother and partner of banker Alain Nkontchou, Enko Education aims to expand access to high-quality international education across Africa. The group opened its first school in Cameroon in September 2014, quickly establishing itself as a leading network of International Baccalaureate (IB) schools on the continent.

Today, Enko Education’s network includes 16 schools across 9 African countries and aims to reach 60 more schools in at least 20 African countries over the next five years.

By supporting Enko Education’s expansion, Standard Bank is reinforcing stronger institutions, increasing access to opportunity, and long-term economic resilience across the continent. The transaction exemplifies a partnership approach that drives growth while creating lasting impact in Africa’s education sector.