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IFC Supports Expansion of Financing for Kenya’s Small Businesses through the First Catalytic First Loss Guarantee Transactions in Africa
The CFLG is an innovative program delivered under IFC's $4 billion MSME Platform, enabling IFC to provide first-loss coverage to partner financial institutions by leveraging blended finance through the International Development Association's Private Sector Window (IDA PSW).
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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African Development Fund Grants $4.3 Million to Strengthen Integration of Natural Capital Into Decision-Making in 13 African Countries
The strategy aims to strengthen policy-making systems, statistical systems, institutional frameworks, and knowledge-generation mechanisms needed by the regional member countries participating in the project and the African Development Bank Group to assess natural capital and incorporate it into public policy-making.
- Categories
- Environment
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Standard Bank Lands $327.1 Million African Development Bank Investment for SMEs in South Africa
According to Standard Bank, the 2024 facility had been fully utilised by December 2025, supporting 5,425 SMEs across sectors including agriculture.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Swedfund Invests $12 Million to Strengthen Climate-Resilient Agriculture and Food Security Across Africa
The financing will support businesses providing essential services to smallholder farmers, including improved access to agricultural markets, affordable finance, digital technologies, quality farm inputs and post-harvest infrastructure.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Finance
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Press Release: World Bank Group Support to Help Philippines Expand Resilient Water and Sanitation Services for Water Security and Jobs
The project is expected to generate 8,700 jobs within five years of completion, rising to around 46,500 jobs over a 25-year period.
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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AUDA-NEPAD Launches Africa Green Transition PPP Fund, a New Investment Platform to Finance Africa’s Green Industrial Future
The Fund will channel blended finance and institutional capital into renewable energy, power transmission, water-energy projects and industrial decarbonisation across Africa. It was launched at the STC Ministerial Segment in Abidjan, with a first closing targeted at the Africa Business Forum 2026.
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Learning from the Corporate Playbook: Why NGOs Must Claim a Niche to Survive the Aid Recession
Global aid funding has dropped dramatically in recent years, while private sector funding in low-and middle-income countries has risen sharply. According to social innovations advisor Rajat Ray, this is not a temporary shift but a fundamental restructuring of how global development will be financed. He explores what this new reality means for NGOs and other grant-seeking organizations, arguing that unlocking private capital will require them to adopt the corporate principles of strategic positioning and niche specialization, shifting from broad thematic focus areas to high-impact, technical interventions that target specific needs.
- Categories
- Investing
-
KCB Bank Kenya and European Bank for Reconstruction & Development (EBRD) Sign US$100 Million Facility to Expand SME Financing
Under the framework, 35 per cent of the facility will be directed towards women and youth-led enterprises, while 30 per cent will finance eligible green investments, enabling businesses to adopt climate-smart technologies and sustainable business practices.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Environment, Finance, Investing, Social Enterprise
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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