Sahel Capital Secures $10M from Mastercard Foundation Africa Growth Fund to Scale Agri-SMEs

Sahel Capital , a private investment firm dedicated to advancing Africa’s agribusiness sector, has announced that its Social Enterprise Fund for Agriculture in Africa (SEFAA) has secured a $10 million investment from the Mastercard Foundation  Africa Growth Fund. The capital, managed by MEDA (Mennonite Economic Development Associates, Mauritius), will be directed towards expanding financing for small and medium-sized agribusiness enterprises across sub-Saharan Africa.

The new investment represents a major milestone in SEFAA’s mission to strengthen agricultural ecosystems, improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers, and promote inclusive growth. With this backing, the fund aims to create more than 10,000 jobs for women and youth across 13 African countries. SEFAA focuses on addressing the financing gap faced by agribusiness SMEs that are financially viable but excluded from traditional lending systems, enabling them to scale operations, access markets, and deliver greater impact to farmers and rural communities.

“Since the inception of the Fund in 2021, we have processed 33 facilities to 18 companies in seven countries in SSA. This $10 million commitment from the Mastercard Foundation Africa Growth Fund, through MEDA Mauritius, is a testament to our team’s hard work and the impactful work we are doing. It will be instrumental in accelerating our efforts to improve the income opportunity for SHFs by enabling the agri-SMEs that engage with them, further strengthening our position as a leading fund in the food and agriculture sector in Africa.”

– Mezuo Nwuneli, Managing Partner, Sahel Capital

The partnership between Sahel Capital, MEDA Mauritius, and the Mastercard Foundation Africa Growth Fund reflects a shared commitment to unlocking capital for SMEs and catalysing employment opportunities. Dorothy Nyambi, President and CEO of MEDA, underscored the alignment of values driving the collaboration.

“We are proud to partner with SEFAA and Sahel Capital, whose strategic vision aligns with MEDA’s commitment to advancing economic opportunity through inclusive finance. With the support of the Mastercard Foundation Africa Growth Fund, this collaboration strengthens our shared mission to catalyse job creation for women and youth by financing SMEs and MSMEs, while also helping to build the enabling ecosystems they need to thrive sustainably.”

– Dorothy Nyambi, President and CEO, MEDA

The Mastercard Foundation Africa Growth Fund is a $200 million fund-of-funds initiative that unlocks capital for African SMEs by investing in gender-diverse fund managers and providing capacity-building support. Its investment into SEFAA represents a strategic effort to channel catalytic capital into high-potential enterprises that can drive inclusive growth. The initiative is closely aligned with the Mastercard Foundation’s Young Africa Works strategy, which focuses on empowering women and youth entrepreneurs in priority countries including Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, and Uganda.

SEFAA currently provides financing ranging from $300,000 to $2.4 million to agribusiness SMEs in 13 countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, and Côte d’Ivoire. The fund combines financial capital with a robust Technical Assistance Facility that helps portfolio companies build operational capacity, improve governance, and ensure sustainability. Since its launch in 2021 with initial support from KfW Development Bank, SEFAA has been instrumental in demonstrating how impact-first investment can transform agricultural value chains and improve smallholder farmer livelihoods.

With the new $10 million commitment from the Mastercard Foundation Africa Growth Fund, SEFAA is positioned to expand its reach and deepen its impact across sub-Saharan Africa. By enabling more agribusiness SMEs to access growth capital, the fund will continue its mission of empowering smallholder farmers, fostering gender inclusion, and creating dignified jobs for Africa’s growing youth population.