
AfDB Approves $20 Million Grant to Boost Food Security and Water Access in Senegal
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has pledged $20 million to bolster food security and water access for vulnerable communities in Senegal.
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Flend, a financial technology company focused on small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) lending, has secured $3 million in seed funding through a combination of equity and debt financing.
The funds will be used to expand its operations, grow its team, and strengthen its partnerships.
Founded by Ahmed Zaki, Nehal Helmy, and Saif Edeen El Bendari, Flend operates as a fully digital non-banking financial institution (NBFI) authorized by Egypt’s Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA).
The company provides SMEs with end-to-end digital lending services, covering onboarding, credit scoring, loan disbursement, and repayments — all executed through legally binding digital contracts.
The startup has developed more than 20 embedded partnerships and integrates its services into various platforms that cater to SMEs in sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, e-commerce, manufacturing, retail, and export.
The recent seed round was led by Egypt Ventures. Other investors include Camel Ventures, Sukna Ventures, Plus VC, Banque Misr, and family offices such as El Sewedy and Baalbaki.
The debt portion of the funding was provided by MSMEDA (Egypt’s Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency) and other local banks.
“This funding allows us to support SMEs directly within the platforms they use every day, making access to finance faster and easier,” said Ahmed Zaki, Flend’s CEO.
“The demand for our services is growing, and we are now prepared to scale further.”
The funding positions Flend to play a larger role in Egypt’s SME ecosystem, offering more businesses access to digital financial services tailored to their operational needs.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has pledged $20 million to bolster food security and water access for vulnerable communities in Senegal.

The development-focused arm of the European Investment Bank (EIB Global) has agreed to contribute $80 million to the RMBV North Africa Fund III, reinforcing efforts to strengthen the private sector in Egypt and the broader North African region.

Kenyan startup BuuPass has received new funding from Yango Ventures, the investment arm of Yango Group, to enhance its intercity travel booking services and broaden its presence in Africa.