Agri Frontier, specialized agribusiness advisory and investment firm and recent SAFIN member, is one of five fund managers selected for funding and acceleration support from the International Climate Finance Accelerator (ICFA), Luxembourg. This achievement marks a significant milestone for Agri Frontier, highlighting its innovative approach to addressing climate change and supporting agricultural SMEs in sub-Saharan Africa.
The ICFA Cohort members are dedicated to creating positive climate impact through diverse activities such as agri-SME finance, circular and resilient food systems, biodiversity and sustainable resource management, blue economy, and clean energy.
Agri Frontier joins an illustrious group of past cohort members, including renowned fund managers like Incofin, Acumen, Mercy Corps Ventures, and Katapult. This recognition validates Agri Frontier’s innovative combination of its accelerator and fund.
To mobilize catalytic finance for a climate- and gender-smart investment vehicle, Agri Frontier Growth Fund focuses on investing in growth-stage agricultural SMEs. The Fund addresses the financing gap experienced by agricultural SMEs by investing in debt, equity, and quasi-equity in businesses operating in the agri-food sector across East and West Africa. It prioritizes climate mitigation, adaptation, and resilience with a gender lens with an overall goal to create sustainable growth opportunities for businesses and stakeholders in African agriculture. This sustainability goal is threefold: strengthening agricultural value chains, increasing gender equity, and enhancing climate change mitigation, resilience, and adaptation.
Complementing the Growth Fund is the Agri Growth Hub accelerator, established in 2022 with funding from the Vitol Foundation and Argidius Foundation. This dynamic accelerator empowers early and growth-stage SMEs by providing essential capacity-building support to mitigate investment risks. By combining technical assistance and business development support, the Agri Growth Hub helps agri-SMEs to become investment ready and access well needed funding to scale and grow.
Agri Frontier specializes in providing investment and capacity-building support, addressing the significant investment gap in the agriculture sector, commonly referred to as the “Missing Middle.” Despite agriculture being one of the largest contributors to GDP and employing more than half of the workforce in Sub-Saharan Africa, less than 4% of commercial lending in the region is directed toward agriculture. This leaves many Agri SMEs struggling to attract necessary investment due to high perceived risks.
With over a decade of experience, Agri Frontier is now focusing on investing in growth-stage, climate-smart, and gender-equitable Agri SMEs in seven countries: Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Agri Frontier’s deep-rooted experience in African agriculture, strong relationships with regional agri-SMEs, and a robust pipeline of investment opportunities position the firm at the forefront of supporting the Missing Middle. By offering investments ranging from $100,000 to $1 million, Agri Frontier helps businesses grow and create quality jobs. Additionally, the firm emphasizes the adoption of sustainable practices that not only address climate change but also promote gender equality and create opportunities for Africa’s youth.
This prestigious recognition from the ICFA validates Agri Frontier’s commitment to developing its accelerator and fund combination, paving the way for even greater impact as the firm launches the Agri Frontier SME Growth Fund. The firm is poised to continue making strides in fostering a sustainable, inclusive, and productive agriculture sector in Sub-Saharan Africa.
