The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has extended a $15 million SME finance facility to Ecobank Zimbabwe under its Export SME Development Programme (ESDP), in a move aimed at strengthening export-oriented small businesses across key sectors of the economy.

The facility will provide both working capital and capital expenditure financing to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating within export value chains, spanning agribusiness, manufacturing, healthcare, logistics, technology and the creative industries.

It marks the latest step in a partnership between Afreximbank and Ecobank Zimbabwe that dates back to 2018, reflecting a shared push to widen SME access to finance, deepen participation in export value chains and support more inclusive economic growth in Zimbabwe.

Under the programme, SMEs, widely viewed as the backbone of Zimbabwe’s economy but often underserved by traditional lenders, will be able to access targeted financing to scale operations and expand export capacity.

Oluranti Doherty, Managing Director for Export Development at Afreximbank, said the facility reflects the bank’s broader development mandate to address structural financing gaps in African trade.

“In Zimbabwe and across the continent, Afreximbank remains firmly committed to supporting SMEs as engines of export growth, economic resilience and long-term development,” she said. “This facility exemplifies the kind of high-additionality, high-impact intervention that the ESDP was designed to deliver.”

She added that the programme goes beyond credit provision, focusing on building the operational capacity of SMEs to integrate into regional and continental value chains.

The facility will be channelled through Ecobank Zimbabwe Limited as a licensed financial intermediary, combining Afreximbank’s trade finance expertise with Ecobank’s local distribution network and client relationships. According to Afreximbank, 43.75% of proceeds will support intra-African trade activities, while 18% will be allocated to manufacturing, underscoring its industrialisation agenda.

Beyond financing, the ESDP will also deliver technical assistance to SME borrowers, including support in financial management, operations, export readiness, marketing and digitalisation. The aim is to improve credit quality, strengthen business sustainability and enhance SMEs’ ability to compete in export markets.

For Ecobank Zimbabwe, the facility expands its ability to serve a segment seen as critical to the country’s growth outlook. The bank said it will combine Afreximbank’s funding with its own SME product suite and advisory services to offer integrated financing and business support.

Moses Kurenjekwa, Managing Director of Ecobank Zimbabwe Limited, said the partnership aligns with efforts to unlock the country’s SME potential.

“Small businesses are the engine of our economy, and access to appropriate, export-linked financing is what enables them to grow, create jobs and compete regionally,” he said.

He added that the collaboration brings together Afreximbank’s development finance mandate and Ecobank’s local reach to deliver a scalable solution for SME growth.

The Export SME Development Programme (ESDP) is designed as a broader ecosystem intervention combining capital, capacity-building and market connectivity, with the objective of equipping SMEs not only with funding but with the tools to expand into competitive export markets.

The initiative comes at a time when Zimbabwe’s economy is positioned along key Southern African trade corridors, linking the North-South Corridor between Dar es Salaam and Durban and the Beira Corridor connecting landlocked economies to Indian Ocean ports.

The facility also lands against a cautiously optimistic macroeconomic backdrop, with GDP growth forecast at around 6% in 2025, supported by stronger agricultural output and elevated gold prices.

SMEs account for more than 60% of Zimbabwe’s GDP and over 70% of employment, but continue to face limited access to long-term, export-linked financing—constraints that development finance institutions hope to ease through targeted credit lines such as this.