Proparco Backs Agriarche Limited to Expand Tech-Driven Agricultural Value Chains in Nigeria

Proparco  backs Agriarche Limited , a Nigerian Agri-tech company leveraging technology to improve market access, strengthen agricultural value chains, promote financial inclusion and support smallholder farmers across the country.

Founded in 2020, Agriarche – a female led agri-tech company, has developed an integrated agricultural model spanning multiple segments of the value chain, including commodity aggregation, logistics, payments for local and export markets through its flagship platform, Kasuwa. The company currently operates across nine Nigerian states in the North-West, North-East, and North-Central (fragile regions of Nigeria), enabled by physical fulfilment centres and has onboarded more than 25,000 farmers, while Kasuwa records over 3,000 active users.

Agriculture: a strategic sector for Africa and Nigeria

Agriculture remains a cornerstone of African economies and a major driver of employment and livelihoods. Africa’s agriculture sector is projected to reach USD 1 trillion by 2030. In Nigeria, millions of smallholder farmers continue to face structural barriers, including fragmented supply chains, limited access to markets, financing and logistics, resulting in significant post-harvest losses. Nigeria alone loses over 3.5trillion naira annually to post harvest inefficiencies according to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (FMAFs).

These inefficiencies limit farmers’ incomes and reduce the resilience and competitiveness of agricultural value chains across the continent.

Leveraging technology to strengthen agricultural value chains

Agriarche addresses these challenges through a technology-enabled platform designed to connect farmers, aggregators and food processors within a more efficient and transparent ecosystem. By digitizing agricultural transactions and improving access to real-time market information, weather forecasts, logistics and payments, etc., Agriarche helps farmers make informed decisions while reducing inefficiencies across the value chain.

Launched in 2022, Kasuwa enables farmers to access daily spot prices for their products and facilitates digital transactions between stakeholders. Agriarche also provides training programs focused on sustainable farming practices and supports farmers located in remote areas, particularly in Northern Nigeria, by connecting them to major commercial hubs across Nigeria, North and South America, etc.

Key impact outcomes

• Farmers supported: 25,000
• Climate: 12 training programs on climate-adapted agricultural methods
• Financial Inclusion: 3,000 active small-holder farmers onboarded on the Kasuwa app
• Women involved: 42% of farmers
• Job creation: an average of 125,000 jobs
• Economic value: Agriarche helps farmers achieve an average 40% reduction in production cost by partnering with input providers and solar pump financiers.
  Supporting inclusive and sustainable agricultural growth

The project strongly aligns with Proparco’s 2023–2027 strategy, as it contributes to economic development in Nigeria, including fragile regions, while fostering food security, financial inclusion and job creation across the agricultural value chain. The project also contributes to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

“Agriarche is leveraging technology to optimize Nigeria’s agricultural value chain while creating tangible opportunities for smallholder farmers. Through the Bridge Fund, Proparco is proud to support innovative women-led start-ups that contribute to more inclusive, resilient and sustainable agricultural systems across Sub Saharan Africa.”

– Xavier Echasseriau, Regional Director for Nigeria, Proparco

“Africa’s future depends on making agriculture work. If agriculture works, Africa works. At Agriarche, we believe that unlocking the full potential of agriculture requires fixing the fragmented systems that separate farmers from markets, finance and opportunity. By combining physical infrastructure with digital innovation, we are building a trusted ecosystem that makes food more available, affordable and accessible. We are grateful to Proparco, through its Bridge Fund, for supporting our mission and enabling us to scale our impact. This partnership strengthens our ability to connect more farmers to reliable markets, expand financial inclusion, strengthen food systems and contribute to a more prosperous, resilient and food-secure Africa.”

– Deina Mayaki, Founder & CEO, Agriarche Limited