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The International Finance Corporation (IFC), part of the World Bank Group, has teamed up with Standard Chartered to introduce a $300 million risk-sharing facility aimed at improving access to supply chain finance across Africa.
The initiative will operate in eight countries—Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia, focusing on key industries such as agriculture, healthcare and manufacturing.
The program is structured to help businesses receive payments more quickly from buyers, easing cash flow constraints that often affect suppliers, especially smaller firms.
By improving access to working capital, the partners expect companies to scale operations, pay workers on time and strengthen production capacity across value chains.
“Supply chain finance is among the fastest ways to narrow the growing finance gap that businesses, particularly small and medium enterprises, are facing in emerging economies,” said Mohamed Gouled, IFC’s Vice President for Products and Clients.
“By partnering with Standard Chartered to support companies at the centre of strategic value chains, we can unlock much-needed working capital at scale for businesses across Africa, including smaller firms and farmers, making supply chains more competitive and boosting job creation.”
Under the arrangement, IFC will provide guarantees of up to $150 million, starting with an initial $100 million tranche.
The backing will support trade and supply chain finance assets originated by Standard Chartered in both U.S. dollars and selected local currencies, helping reduce risk and expand lending capacity.
The facility will cover financing tools such as payables finance, receivables discounting and pre-shipment funding.
These instruments are designed to enable suppliers to access cash earlier, reduce financing costs and reinvest in business growth.
Standard Chartered said the partnership is intended to improve liquidity across African markets and make supply chains more resilient.
“This $300 million facility with IFC underscores our shared commitment to strengthening Africa’s supply chains and enabling sustainable business growth,” said Dalu Ajene, Chief Executive and Head of Coverage for Standard Chartered Africa.
Over the next three years, the program is expected to support around $1.9 billion in supply chain finance transactions, reaching more than 500 suppliers, including small and medium-sized enterprises.
It could also indirectly benefit over one million farmers linked to these supply chains.
The launch comes at a time when demand for supply chain finance is rising globally. Industry estimates put the market at about $2.7 trillion in 2025, reflecting an annual increase of roughly 8%.
However, access to such financing remains uneven, with many businesses in emerging and lower-income markets still facing limited options.
The new facility is designed to address this gap by sharing risk on short-term trade finance portfolios, making it easier for capital to flow into underserved markets.
It also marks IFC’s first investment under its Global Supply Chain Finance Program and the Africa Trade and Supply Chain Recovery Initiative, which is backed by the International Development Association’s Private Sector Window Blended Finance Facility.
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