African Agribusiness Window

AECF’s flagship agribusiness programme was developed from the success of the preceding General Window and launched in 2012.  It contracted 21 companies of which the majority were smaller but scaling and ready to bring significant development to smallholder farmers. The programme significant pan-African interest and invested in 11 countries in a wide range of sectors but with an emphasis on both improved seed and poultry.  In both these sectors, investees were looking to bring new varieties of seeds and birds to the smallholder farmer. Another focus of the window was improving access to finance for smallholders through innovative leasing schemes and group savings and loans.

The window’s investment created or sustained more then 3,600 jobs and generated $461m in development impact over the six years that this was monitored, more than 60% of which came from one company, Ethiochicken in Ethiopia. This was created through a little under $20m of capital support, half of which was repayable grants. 15 businesses remain in operation in 2021.