Paul Fokam's Afriland To Boost Sme Financing In Cameroon With 60 Million

Afriland First Bank, led by Cameroonian businessman Paul Fokam, partners with IFC to unlock 60 million in SME funding in Cameroon.

The deal includes incentives to boost lending to women-led businesses and expand financial access across underserved markets.

IFC to support Afriland with advisory services and capital to drive private-sector growth and job creation in frontier markets.

Afriland First Bank, the financial services group founded by Cameroonian businessman Paul Fokam, has entered into a new partnership with the International Finance Corporation IFC to expand lending to small and medium-sized enterprises SMEs in Cameroon. The move is designed to help close the funding gap faced by local businessesespecially those led by womenand support private-sector growth in the country.

Under the agreement, IFC will provide up to 60 million in financing, including 20 million from its own resources and an additional 40 million raised from other investors. A core focus of the initiative is to improve access to capital for women entrepreneurs, who often face the steepest hurdles when it comes to securing loans.

Afriland First Bank will also benefit from performance-based incentives through the Women Entrepreneurs Opportunity Facility WEOF, receiving up to 0.07 percent of the total project value to encourage lending to women-owned or women-led businesses. This financial boost is expected to expand the banks SME loan book and strengthen its support for underfunded sectors of the economy.

In addition to capital, IFC will provide technical assistance to help Afriland improve its risk management, develop new financial products, and enhance how it delivers services to clients. These efforts are part of IFCs wider goal to promote inclusive economic growth and create jobs by empowering institutions that drive real impact on the ground.

The partnership with Afriland is one piece of IFCs growing commitment to Cameroon. The institution has been stepping up investments across key sectors, including digital infrastructure, agriculture, climate finance, and urban development.