The World Bank Group’s private sector arm, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and Standard Chartered have launched a risk-sharing facility of up to $300 million to expand supply chain finance and support business growth across Africa.

The programme will be rolled out in eight markets — Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia — targeting sectors including agriculture, healthcare and manufacturing.

The facility is designed to help companies strengthen supply chains by enabling faster payments to suppliers, improving access to working capital and supporting job creation across value chains.

“Supply chain finance is among the fastest ways to narrow the growing finance gap that businesses, particularly small and medium enterprises, are facing in emerging economies,” said Mohamed Gouled, IFC’s Vice President for Products and Clients.

“By partnering with Standard Chartered to support companies at the centre of strategic value chains, we can unlock much-needed working capital at scale for businesses across Africa, including smaller firms and farmers, making supply chains more competitive and boosting job creation.”

Under the structure, IFC will provide guarantees of up to $150 million, with an initial $100 million tranche, covering trade and supply chain finance assets originated by Standard Chartered in both U.S. dollars and selected local currencies.

The financing will support instruments such as payables finance, receivables discounting and pre-shipment finance, helping smaller businesses access funds more quickly, lower financing costs and invest in expansion.

Dalu Ajene, Chief Executive and Head of Coverage for Standard Chartered Africa, said the partnership would improve liquidity and resilience across African supply chains.

“This $300 million facility with IFC underscores our shared commitment to strengthening Africa's supply chains and enabling sustainable business growth,” he said.

“By expanding access to supply chain finance, we are helping African companies unlock liquidity, manage risk, and invest with confidence.”

Over the next three years, the initiative is expected to facilitate around $1.9 billion in supply chain finance transactions and support more than 500 suppliers, including small and medium-sized enterprises.

The programme could also indirectly benefit more than one million farmers linked to these value chains.

The launch comes as global demand for supply chain finance continues to grow, reaching an estimated $2.7 trillion in 2025, up 8% year-on-year. However, access to such financing remains limited in emerging markets, particularly in lower-income and fragile economies.

IFC said the facility aims to address these gaps by mitigating risk in short-term trade finance portfolios and encouraging greater capital flows into underserved markets.

The initiative marks IFC’s first project under its Global Supply Chain Finance Program and the Africa Trade and Supply Chain Recovery Initiative, supported by the International Development Association’s Private Sector Window Blended Finance Facility.