Ecobank Group, the pan-African banking group and the Lomé-headquartered flagship of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI), has committed $2.6 billion in targeted lending by 2030 to women-led enterprises and agricultural value chains across Africa.

The commitment, announced at the Ecobank@40 Media Conference in Lomé as the bank concluded its 40th-anniversary celebrations, comprises $2 billion for women entrepreneurs through its Ellevate programme and $600 million for agriculture-focused small and medium-sized enterprises.

Ecobank targets $2 billion for women entrepreneurs

Under Ellevate by Ecobank, the group plans to build a $2 billion loan portfolio for women entrepreneurs by 2030, building on more than 110,000 women-led businesses already supported.

Ecobank Group, led by Chief Executive Officer Jeremy Awori, aims to increase its registered client base to 400,000 formal women-led businesses while expanding digital onboarding and financial inclusion initiatives to reach up to 1 million female micro-entrepreneurs across its African markets.

The programme will provide unsecured and partially secured credit facilities, supported by partnerships with development finance institutions and guarantee providers. Priority sectors include agribusiness, education and healthcare.

Agribusiness receives $600 million lending target

The Lomé-based banking group will allocate another $600 million in outstanding loans to agriculture-focused SMEs by 2030, targeting the full farm-to-consumer value chain rather than seasonal agricultural production alone.

“By committing $2 billion to women entrepreneurs and $600 million to agricultural value chains, we are turning gender-smart financing and food sovereignty into the primary engines of African growth,” Ecobank Group CEO Jeremy Awori said. The bank said the strategy is designed to strengthen regional food markets, improve food security and reduce Africa’s dependence on food imports.

The initiative will finance farmers, aggregators, processors, logistics providers, traders and exporters, with a focus on climate-smart agriculture, digital payments across rural supply chains and structured trade finance.

Digital platform to support cross-border trade

Central to both initiatives is the Ecobank Single Market Trade Hub, a digital marketplace connecting more than 60,000 businesses across Africa. Through the platform and Ecobank’s pan-African payment infrastructure, women-led businesses, agripreneurs and SMEs will gain access to regional buyers and suppliers, alongside multi-currency payment capabilities supporting trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area.

The group said execution will focus on four areas: expanding credit and risk-sharing mechanisms; facilitating cross-border trade; digitising agricultural and business value chains; and providing training in business management, export readiness, leadership and sustainable agriculture.

Ecobank operates across 34 sub-Saharan African countries, alongside operations in France, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates and China. The group employs more than 14,000 people and serves more than 32 million customers through consumer, commercial, corporate and investment banking services.