AFRICAN Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has extended a US$15 million SME Finance Facility to Ecobank Zimbabwe Limited in a move aimed at strengthening the participation of Zimbabwean small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in regional and continental export value chains.
The funding, provided under Afreximbank’s Export SME Development Programme (ESDP), will support SMEs operating in key sectors of the economy, including agribusiness, manufacturing, healthcare, logistics, technology and the creative industry.
The facility will provide both working capital and capital expenditure financing to businesses that have traditionally struggled to access long-term, export-linked funding despite their significant contribution to the economy.
Zimbabwe’s SMEs account for more than 60% of gross domestic product and over 70% of national employment, but limited access to finance has continued to constrain their growth and competitiveness.
Afreximbank managing director for export development, Oluranti Doherty, said the facility underscored the bank’s commitment to positioning SMEs at the centre of Africa’s trade transformation agenda.
“This facility with Ecobank Zimbabwe Limited exemplifies the kind of high-additionality, high-impact intervention that the ESDP was designed to deliver, addressing market failures that commercial finance alone cannot resolve, and building the productive capacity of enterprises that are central to Africa’s trade transformation,” Doherty said in a statement.
Keep Reading
- Concerns over Zimbabwe mortgaging resources
- Concerns over Zimbabwe mortgaging resources
- Ecobank profit tumbles
- Afreximbank opens office in Barbados as Africa, Caribbean ties deepen
“This facility goes beyond providing credit; it is a structured commitment to building the capacity of enterprises that can drive Zimbabwe’s participation in intra-African trade and regional value chains. Through the ESDP, we are ensuring that each beneficiary SME is not only funded but equipped, connected, and positioned to grow sustainably.”
Ecobank Zimbabwe managing director Moses Kurenjekwa said the partnership would help unlock growth opportunities for local businesses seeking to expand into regional markets.
“Small businesses are the engine of our economy, and access to appropriate, export-linked financing is what enables them to grow, create jobs, and compete regionally,” he said.
“This collaboration brings together Afreximbank’s development finance mandate and our on-the-ground reach to deliver a solution that is both impactful and scalable.
“We look forward to walking this journey with Zimbabwe’s SMEs as they integrate into regional and continental trade value chains.”
The latest facility builds on a partnership between Afreximbank and Ecobank Zimbabwe dating back to 2018, reflecting a shared focus on expanding access to finance, deepening export value chains and promoting inclusive economic growth.
Under the arrangement, Afreximbank will channel development finance through Ecobank Zimbabwe as a licensed financial intermediary, combining the continental lender’s trade finance expertise with Ecobank’s local market reach and client network.
About 43,75% of the facility proceeds will support intra-African trade activities, while 18% will be directed towards manufacturing, in line with Afreximbank’s industrialisation and regional integration agenda.
Beyond financing, Afreximbank will also provide technical and capacity-building support to SME beneficiaries under the ESDP. The programme includes training in operations and financial management, export readiness, marketing, loan management and digitalisation.
The integrated support framework is intended to improve SME sustainability, strengthen credit quality and enhance participation in export markets.
The facility comes at a critical time for Zimbabwe’s economy, which is strategically positioned along Southern Africa’s major trade routes, including the North-South Corridor linking Dar es Salaam and Durban, as well as the Beira Corridor connecting landlocked economies to Indian Ocean ports.