Proparco and the EU Partner with Ecobank to Promote Financial Inclusion and SME Development in the DRC

Following the panel discussion “Risk Sharing in Practice: What It Takes to Finance More African SMEs,” organized by Proparco at AFIS, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI) and Proparco signed this new guarantee agreement for the benefit of Ecobank DRC.

ETI operates in 34 African countries, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo through its subsidiary Ecobank DRC. Proparco and the banking group have built a strong partnership through numerous financing, trade finance and portfolio guarantee transactions across the continent. This new transaction for the benefit of its DRC subsidiary marks the first Impact+ guarantee signed by Proparco with the group.

In this context, Proparco will put in place two portfolio guarantees in the DRC totaling USD 10 million. The first aims to support the strong growth of the bank’s MSME financing portfolio. The second targets high-impact segments: businesses led by women and young people, startups, agriculture, health, education and green activities.

Removing Barriers to Entrepreneurs’ Access to Finance

Through this initiative, Proparco aims to support the large-scale development of the MSME segment and channel more financing toward priority sectors and high-impact segments. By leveraging guarantee mechanisms, this partnership will help address one of the main barriers to MSME financing: access to guarantees and collateral. By easing this constraint, the initiative will enable more entrepreneurs, particularly those with strong growth potential but limited assets, to access the financing they need to grow their businesses, innovate and contribute fully to the DRC’s economic development.

This partnership is part of the IMPACT+ program, jointly structured with the European Union, which aims to facilitate access to finance for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Africa.

It is also part of the memorandum of understanding signed between Proparco and the Ecobank Group at the Africa Forward Forum 2026 in Nairobi, under which the two institutions announced their shared ambition to develop risk-sharing and financing solutions for African SMEs as part of a broader program worth up to €100 million. 

Emmanuel Haye, Director of the Financial Institutions Department at Proparco, stated:

“We are delighted to embark on this collaboration with Ecobank DRC, a member of the Ecobank Group, a long-standing partner of Proparco in Africa. This partnership reflects our shared ambition to increase financing for MSMEs and channel more resources toward women and young entrepreneurs, as well as underserved sectors with a strong development impact. This financing benefits from the support of the European Union and demonstrates the strong commitment of the European Commission and France to financial inclusion.”

Moukaramou Chanou, Managing Director of Ecobank International, representing Ecobank DRC, added:

“This portfolio guarantee marks a new milestone in the long-standing partnership of trust between the Ecobank Group and Proparco in support of African private sector development. In the DRC, it will enable us to significantly increase our capacity to finance micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, which are the driving force behind growth and employment. Thanks to this risk-sharing mechanism, we will be able to support more entrepreneurs, particularly women and young people, as well as key sectors such as agriculture, health and education. This initiative reflects our commitment to making financing more accessible and supporting inclusive, sustainable growth that creates value for the communities we serve across the country.”

The transaction concluded with Ecobank DRC is the first concrete outcome of this strengthened collaboration and marks the launch of a broader program aimed at expanding access to finance for SMEs, agribusinesses and women-led businesses across Ecobank’s pan-African network.