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AFD group grants a US$100 million loan to Equity Bank to support Kenyan SMEs

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Signature du prêt accordé à Equity Bank

This major operation illustrates Proparco’s firm commitment to the African private sector amid current COVID-19 crisis and economic turmoil, with a particular focus on job-creating SMEs, as part of the French initiative Choose Africa, and on projects with climate co-benefits.

Equity Bank, the second largest bank in Kenya, is known for its continued support to the private sector and its commitment to SMEs, women entrepreneurs and rural areas through dedicated products. Its continued support to entrepreneurs, who are particularly affected by the economic shock, testifies to the bank’s commitment to empower Kenyans socially and economically.

Today’s operation will further support the bank’s dedication to staying Kenya’s leader in SME financing and its ambition to better support underserved segments, in particular agriculture, as well as companies contributing to the country’s “Big 4” developmental agenda: manufacturing, affordable housing, health and food security.

This project will thus contribute to the French initiative Choose Africa, which ambitions to dedicate €2.5 billion to start-ups and SMEs in Africa by 2022 through the AFD Group (Proparco and is mother company AFD).

It will also contribute to the AFD Group’s contribution to the climate and the Paris agreement since $20 million of the $100 million loan will be dedicated to financing projects with climate co-benefits.