IFC has announced two partnerships with Absa Bank Ghana LTD and Complete Farmer to expand access to finance across Ghana’s agricultural sector and support smallholder farmers through financing and technology.

IFC’s partnership with Absa Bank Ghana will expand financing for Licensed Buying Companies to purchase cocoa from farmers throughout the buying season, helping sustain market access for more than 139,000 smallholder farmers. Cocoa is one of Ghana’s most important export sectors, with nearly 800,000 registered cocoa farmers and millions of people depending on the sector for their livelihoods.

Supported by the Private Sector Window of the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP), the facility will finance purchases of traceable cocoa from farmers across Ghana. It will also support more sustainable farming practices aligned with the Paris Agreement on climate change.

“Ghana's cocoa sector carries thousands of farming households and anchors our export economy,” said Edward Nartey Botchway, Managing Director of Absa Bank Ghana. “Through this partnership with IFC, we are financing Licensed Buying Companies to purchase traceable cocoa across the buying season — protecting reliable market access for farmers. At Absa Bank Ghana, we believe our expertise and capital are at their best when they are working for the people who feed our economy, and for a cocoa value chain that is productive, sustainable and resilient.”

IFC is also partnering with Complete Farmer, a Ghanaian AgTech company whose digital platform connects farmers with buyers, financial institutions, input suppliers, and agricultural service providers. IFC’s support will help Complete Farmer connect more smallholder farmers with financial institutions. The partnership is expected to expand and provide support to 240,000 farmers, including facilitating access to finance by 2030.

“For us, this partnership is about making finance work better for farmers,” said Desmond Koney, CEO of Complete Farmer. “Too many farmers with the capacity to grow commercially still struggle to access the financing they need to do so.

 Complete Farmer and IFC after signing

Over the years, we have focused on building the technology, data and market infrastructure that makes it possible to better understand farmers, support their production and connect what they grow to real demand. Our partnership with IFC allows us to build on that foundation and scale our input financing model, so that more farmers have the resources and support they need to grow sustainably and participate more meaningfully in agricultural markets.”

Through the Absa Bank Ghana partnership, IFC and the Private Sector Window of GAFSP will provide up to $50 million in an unfunded risk participation facility, enabling Absa Bank Ghana to extend up to $200 million in financing to Licensed Buying Companies.

“Ghana’s agricultural sector can create more jobs and strengthen rural livelihoods when farmers and businesses have reliable access to finance, technology, and markets,” said Nathalie Kouassi Akon, IFC Division Director for West Africa Gulf of Guinea. “These partnerships address different gaps across the value chain, from financing cocoa purchases to helping farmers access inputs, services, finance, and buyers. Together, they demonstrate how private investment can support a more productive and resilient agricultural sector.”

IFC, in partnership with BIFT, is also providing Complete Farmer with a $2.4 million convertible loan to scale-up and finance inputs and agronomy services for farmers, complemented by $660,000 in advisory and grant support to strengthen its systems and capacity to expand farmer financing.

The partnerships support the World Bank Group’s broader agriculture agenda in Ghana and the priorities of AgriConnect by mobilizing private investment, strengthening food security, and creating jobs. Together, they combine financing, technology, and market access across Ghana’s agricultural value chains, helping build a more productive and resilient sector.