The Project
Aceli Africa deploys an innovative model that leverages catalytic capital to channel lending to the least served and most impactful businesses in the agricultural small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) market in East Africa. Under this project, Aceli gathered data and generated industry learnings on the impact of initiative-supported lending. Along with its data partner, Dalberg Advisors, Aceli analyzed 360 existing loans and engaged more than 20 lenders to determine how catalytic capital can shift the economics of agricultural lending and influence lender strategies.
Value and Outcomes
Aceli’s research has the potential to impact the livelihoods of many in the African agricultural industry, which is largely composed of low-wage workers, women, and youth. The 360 loans analyzed in this study alone benefit 200,000 smallholder farmers and enterprise employees and an estimated 1 million household members. Although this is a significant result, there are an estimated 33 million smallholder farms in Africa, contributing up to 70 percent of the food supply. Learnings from this deployment can be applied more broadly for greater impact.
The study engaged lenders, donors, and other influential ecosystem participants to generate learnings shared at stakeholder convenings and global impact investing events, and disseminated through briefs and more comprehensive reports.
For more information on Aceli Africa, visit their website.