The United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is a founding member of the AECF. AECF has scored an A in all FCDO's annual reviews since 2012. They support 6 of AECF’s 8 windows, this includes the General Window, Africa Agribusiness Tanzania, South Sudan, REACT East Africa regional, Tanzania and Kenya, and Research into Business windows. Economic development through investments in the private sector is a priority for FCDO.
FCDO sees the AECF as one of the most successful existing challenge funds that is popular with businesses and other funding partners. The AECF also aligns with FCDO’s strategies on scaling up commercial agriculture and improving quality for women in business.