The ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) will dedicate at least 25 percent of its resources over the next five years to social sector interventions targeting women and youth, as part of a broader strategy to bridge financing gaps for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across West Africa.
Dr Sydney O. Vanderpuye, Director of Finance and Accounting at EBID, announced the commitment while speaking at the Africa Prosperity Dialogues 2026 in Accra on Wednesday, describing access to affordable and patient capital as one of the most pressing constraints facing Africa’s entrepreneurs.
Addressing participants under the theme “Empowering SMEs, women and youth in Africa’s single market: innovate, collaborate and trade,” Vanderpuye said the issue of financing is central to the continent’s growth, job creation and social stability.
“Bridging this finance gap is not a peripheral issue anymore. It is central to Africa’s growth story, job creation for our young people and social stability across our sub-regions,” he said.
He noted that SMEs, women-led businesses and youth-driven startups continue to demonstrate strong entrepreneurial energy but remain limited by inadequate access to appropriate and affordable funding.
According to him, every dollar invested strategically into such enterprises multiplies into incomes, innovation and cross-border trade — key pillars needed to make the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) effective.
Vanderpuye said EBID’s new strategic plan for 2026 to 2030 is sustainability-focused and aligned with environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles, with a strong emphasis on tackling socio-economic barriers that disproportionately affect women and young people.
“Over the next five years, the bank will commit a minimum of 25 percent of its resources to social sector interventions, with women and youth as the ultimate beneficiaries,” he said.
In addition, he disclosed that at least 22 percent of the bank’s new financing commitments will be directed specifically toward SMEs.
The bank also intends to work closely with governments, development finance institutions, commercial banks and private investors to design financial instruments that reduce the risks associated with SME lending.
These include expanding credit guarantees and mobilising larger pools of capital to scale up financing for small businesses.
“We see these dialogues not merely as another conference, but as a working space to align policy, capital and capability around bankable solutions,” he said.
Vanderpuye described the Africa Prosperity Dialogues, convened by the Africa Prosperity Network in partnership with the Government of Ghana and the AfCFTA Secretariat, as a critical platform where ideas, policy and capital converge to advance Africa’s economic integration under Agenda 2063.
He reaffirmed EBID’s commitment to moving “from aspirations to implementation” by supporting transaction pipelines that deliver measurable impact for businesses and communities across the sub-region.
“We come ready to listen, to learn and to partner,” he added, stressing that empowering SMEs, women and youth cannot be achieved by a single institution or government alone.
The Africa Prosperity Dialogues bring together policymakers, financiers and private sector leaders to explore practical strategies for accelerating trade, investment and inclusive growth across the continent.
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