Current partners
Emerald Africa Financing Facility provides debt to early-stage digital innovators in sub-Saharan Africa that are expanding access to finance for rural SMEs.
While venture capital in Africa has grown, many digital intermediaries that enable financial inclusion still lack access to debt capital. Without it, they rely heavily on equity to fund on-lending, limiting their ability to scale. Emerald Africa addresses this gap by offering early-stage loans that allow these ventures to demonstrate viability and attract follow-on investment from banks and other financiers.
Small Foundation is incubating Emerald Africa as a two-year pilot to test the viability of debt finance for early-stage agtechs in sub-Saharan Africa. The initiative aims to strengthen the ecosystem around rural-focused SMEs and unlock sustainable growth.
As of August 2024, Emerald Africa had five companies in its investment portfolio.
