TDB GROUP’S TDF, GBF AND AGF SUPPORT 16,000 SMALL SCALE-FARMERS BY FINANCING 3 WOMEN AND YOUTH-LED AGRIBUSINESS SMEs IN EAST AFRICA

Nairobi, 16 March 2022 – Approximately 16,000 small-scale farmers in East Africa were supported in 2021, as a result of a USD 1 million debt facility extended in 2020 by Trade and Development Fund (TDF), enhanced with a partial risk guarantee from the African Guarantee Fund (AGF), and managed by Grassroots Business Fund (GBF). The Facility finances agribusinesses by providing working capital, expansion funding, and value addition support.

So far, USD 860,000 has been committed to three high impact SMEs led and owned by women and youth – Coconut Holdings Limited and Chemicaland Limited in Kenya and Rainbow Haulage and Commodity Traders in Tanzania.

The Facility enabled these companies to grow their capacities, develop new products, deepening value chains, and generating more opportunities for value chain actors.

With SMEs providing most jobs in the region, and being a high contributor to GDP, this Facility was structured to solve a market challenge for missing middle SMEs that are unable to access medium to long term patient capital from conventional borrowing.

To further improve results and sustainability of the interventions, all three companies are benefitting from TDF and AGF technical assistance contributions blended with the Facility.

Admassu Tadesse, TDB President Emeritus and Group Managing Director said: “We are pleased to be able to support such impactful businesses via TDF, our Group’s special institution that supports early-stage interventions and is indeed well placed to unlock finance for some facing barriers to access capital. Because of their important contribution to livelihoods and economies, SMEs are crucial to the achievement of meaningful sustainable development in our region.”

Gloria Mamba, TDF Executive Director and TDB Group Senior Executive said: “TDF’s approach consists in leveraging its capital, blending it, and directing it through partner financial institutions, such as GBF, who work with SMEs – from micro enterprises to missing middle SMEs – as their client-base. By providing tailor-made blended finance solutions, the Facility empowers local women and youth-led businesses to grow and generate jobs, and contribute to economic growth”.

 Harold Rosen, GBF’s Chief Executive Officer said “GBF is delighted to have been in partnership on this transaction with TDF and AGF. We are very aligned with TDB’s mandate and its modus operandi of using blended solutions to reach underserved communities. We also feel this transaction has been a good way for GBF to combine its experience and capabilities working with SMEs, with TDB’s strong capabilities and desire to help SMEs reach their potential to lead the development process in Africa.” 

Jules Ngankam, AGFs Group Chief Executive Officer said: “We are glad that our guarantee facility played a major catalytic role in enabling GBF to support the beneficiary agribusinesses majority of whom were women. Our Capacity Development Assistance was also very critical in empowering the farmers and positioning them to attract investments.”

About TDB
Established in 1985, the Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank (TDB) is a multilateral, treaty-based, investment-grade development finance institution, with 41 sovereign and institutional shareholders and assets of USD 8 bn. TDB serves 22 economies in its region, with the mandate to finance and foster trade, regional economic integration, and sustainable development.

TDB is part of the TDB Group, which also comprises TDF (the Trade and Development Fund), ESATF (the Eastern and Southern African Trade Fund), TCI (TDB Captive Insurance), and the TDB Academy.

TDF is a member of the TDB Group which provides blended finance solutions to clients in TDB Group member states, with a particular focus on groups that are traditionally excluded from mainstream economic activity, such as women and youth. TDF also provides project development grants, capacity building services, thought leadership and programme management services.
www.tdbgroup.org

About GBF
Grassroots Business Fund (GBF) was founded in 2004, as an initiative of the International Finance Corporation, to pilot grassroots business investments and field-tested capacity-building approaches. GBF’s mission is to grow viable, sustainable, and inclusive businesses that generate incomes or cost savings for lower income people in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
www.gbfund.org

About AGF
African Guarantee Fund is a non-bank financial institution whose objective is to promote economic development, increase employment and reduce poverty in Africa by providing financial institutions with guarantee products and capacity development assistance specifically intended to support SMEs in Africa.

African Guarantee Fund was founded by the government of Denmark through the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), the government of Spain through the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation and Development (AECID) and the African Development Bank (AfDB). Other shareholders include: French Development Agency (AFD), Nordic Development Fund (NDF), Investment Fund for Developing Countries (IFU) and KfW Development Bank (KfW).

AGF has a rating of AA- by Fitch Ratings Agency
www.africanguaranteefund.com

Media Contacts
Anne-Marie Iskandar, Senior Communications Officer
Corporate Affairs and Investor Relations
Trade and Development Bank
Anne-Marie.Iskandar@tdbgroup.org

Victoria Garzon-Dangond
Grassroots Business Fund
vgarzon@gbfund.org

Diana Aluga
Group Communication & Public Relations
African Guarantee Fund
diana.aluga@agf.africa