OUR VISION & MISSION
Aceli Africa envisions SMEs leading the transformation towards a thriving and sustainable agriculture sector.
Aceli's mission is to unlock the growth and impact of agricultural SMEs by bridging the gap between capital supply and demand.
Building the market for agricultural SME finance in Africa will contribute to several of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals through improved livelihoods for farmers and workers, environmental resilience, and food security and nutrition.
DATA & LEARNING
2025 Financial Benchmarking Report
Shares data & insights from 32k loans totaling $2B from 41 Aceli lending partners across Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.
Aceli Reaches $93M in International Donor Commitments
Global Affairs Canada (GAC) and Norway join Aceli Africa's funding partners to unlock private sector lending to agri-SMEs in East Africa.
Year 3 Learning Report
Shares data & learning drawn from 1,567 agriculture loans totaling $152M. We present metrics from our financial incentives program, data trends in agri-SME lending across East Africa, and ingredients for sustained lender behavior change.
Aggregate Impact Snapshot – October 2023
Presents insights from surveys conducted by 60 Decibels to understand the impact of Aceli-supported loans on SMEs, farmers, and employees.
Impact Profile: Cassava SME Cluster
Profiles a cluster of 9 agri-SMEs in Northwestern Tanzania that are accessing their first loans to purchase cassava from 1,980 smallholder farmers.
THE ROLE OF AGRI-SMEs
Agricultural SMEs are vital actors in the agricultural sector, strengthening environmental resilience and facilitating pathways out of poverty for both smallholder farmers and low-skill workers, particularly women and youth.
THE CHALLENGE
Agricultural SMEs need reliable access to finance to realize their growth and impact potential. However, Aceli’s original data confirms that risk in agri-SME lending is twice as high as other sectors while returns are 4-5% lower, limiting capital flows to agricultural SMEs today.
THE NEED FOR SMARTER FINANCING
Lenders have historically shied away from the high risks and low returns, creating a $65 billion annual financing gap for agricultural SMEs across sub-Saharan Africa. Traditional guarantee mechanisms are not sufficient to increase lender risk appetite and extend credit access to the majority of agricultural SMEs that are not currently being served.
OUR PARTNERS
Aceli Africa has been designed by lending practitioners based on their experience serving agricultural SMEs, and informed by data from 31 lenders and numerous stakeholders.
DATA & LEARNING
DONORS
INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERS
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