Mobilizing capital, unlocking impact
Aceli Africa is catalyzing the finance market for a thriving agriculture sector in Africa.
Aceli Africa is a market catalyst
Aceli’s data-driven approach provides incentives to lenders to increase financing for agri-SMEs. The incentives are designed to advance impact objectives in food security, rural livelihoods, women’s economic empowerment, opportunities for youth, and environmental adaptation & resilience.
Latest data & learning
Activating the Agri-SME finance market: Learning from 2020-2025
Shares data and case studies drawn from 5,576 agriculture loans totaling $441M, showing how incentives are meaningfully changing African bank behaviors and driving high impact lending.
Advancing Women’s Economic Opportunities Through Gender Lens Investing
Shares insights from an analysis of 4,791 Aceli-supported agri-SME loans totaling $392M.
Building a Sustainable Technical Assistance Market for Agri-SMEs
Examines the critical role of TA in bridging the agri-SME financing gap and shares learning from Aceli’s experience facilitating TA to 700 African agri-SMEs.
SME Impact Report: Powered by voices of East African agricultural SMEs receiving Aceli-supported loansÂ
Draws on insights from 656 SME owners with Aceli-supported loans, and more than 6,000 farmers connected to these businesses across Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda.
2025 Financial Benchmarking Report
Shares data & insights from 32k loans totaling $2B from 41 Aceli lending partners across Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.
Role of Government in Rural & Agri-Finance: Building a Market-Based System to Support Sustainable Growth
Presents recommendations for how governments can play a more effective role in developing a competitive agri-finance market that supports a robust food system and thriving agricultural economy.
Impact of Aceli incentives to date
Aceli’s incentives unlock increased lending to agri-SMEs
Expanded access to finance generates enterprise growth
Improved market access & employment in rural communities
Agricultural growth is
2x
more effective in reducing poverty than growth in any other sector
Agri-SMEs are the heart of a thriving agriculture sector
Agri-SMEs play a crucial role in improving rural livelihoods by aggregating and linking millions of smallholder farmers to markets while also generating employment, especially for women and youth. They form the backbone of a vibrant agriculture sector that replaces expensive imports with locally-produced food that is more affordable and nutritious.
Financing agri-SMEs can unlock growth & impact
Reliable access to finance is a necessary ingredient for agri-SMEs to thrive, but lenders have historically shied away from the high risks and relatively low financial returns in agriculture. This has created a $75 billion annual agri-SME financing gap across sub-Saharan Africa.
Funding partners
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