Proparco backs Agriarche Limited with funding to scale Nigerian agri-tech platform

French development finance institution Proparco has invested in Agriarche Limited, an Abuja-based agricultural technology firm founded by Deina Mayaki, to support the expansion of its digital agriculture platform, Kasuwa, aimed at improving market access for smallholder farmers across Nigeria.

The support provided by Proparco to Agriarche, which uses digital infrastructure to improve market access, strengthen value chains, and expand financial inclusion for smallholder farmers across Nigeria, aligns with Proparco’s 2023–2027 strategy, prioritizing food security, job creation, and economic resilience in underserved and fragile regions. It also contributes to global development objectives, including poverty reduction, zero hunger, and innovation-driven growth.

Expanding access in underserved regions

Agriarche currently operates across nine Nigerian states, mainly in the North-West, North-East, and North-Central regions, areas often described as fragile due to structural economic and security challenges. Its operations are supported by physical fulfilment centres that link rural producers to larger commercial markets.

The platform has onboarded more than 25,000 farmers, while Kasuwa reportedly records over 3,000 active users, reflecting growing adoption of digital tools in Nigeria’s informal agricultural economy. The collaboration with Proparco will help scale its operations, deepen financial inclusion, and expand access to reliable markets across and beyond Nigeria.

Addressing structural gaps in African agriculture

Agriculture remains a critical driver of employment and income across Africa, with the sector projected to reach about $1 trillion by 2030. In Nigeria, however, smallholder farmers continue to face persistent bottlenecks, including fragmented supply chains, weak access to finance, and inadequate logistics infrastructure.

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security estimates that Nigeria loses over N3.5 trillion annually to post-harvest inefficiencies, a drag that continues to limit productivity and farmer incomes.

Digitizing agricultural value chains

Agriarche’s model is built around addressing these inefficiencies through a technology-enabled ecosystem that connects farmers, aggregators, processors, and input suppliers. Through Kasuwa, launched in 2022, farmers gain access to daily commodity spot prices, digital transactions, logistics coordination, and weather and market intelligence.

The platform is designed to reduce information asymmetry while improving pricing transparency across the value chain. The company also delivers training programs focused on climate-resilient farming practices and supports rural farmers by linking them to broader domestic and international markets. 

Advancing inclusive agricultural growth

The platform has reached approximately 25,000 farmers, with women accounting for about 42% of total users engaged. It also supports financial inclusion, with over 3,000 smallholder farmers actively using Kasuwa for transactions. 

In addition, Agriarche has delivered 12 training programs on climate-smart agriculture, helping strengthen adaptation to environmental risks across farming communities. The initiative has also contributed to job creation, supporting an estimated 125,000 jobs (figure not independently verified), while improving cost efficiency by up to 40% through input and energy partnership arrangements. By supporting Agriarche through its Bridge Fund, Proparco is backing a broader push to scale women-led innovation in African agriculture and strengthen rural economic systems.

Leadership perspective

Founded in 2020, Agriarche operates as an integrated agri-tech platform connecting farmers to markets, logistics, and payments through its flagship solution, Kasuwa. The company also facilitates commodity aggregation and export-linked transactions across key agricultural corridors.

Speaking on the partnership, Agriarche’s founder emphasized the need to address structural inefficiencies in agricultural markets by combining physical infrastructure with digital tools to improve access to markets, finance, and opportunity for farmers.