AECF targets Small and Growing Businesses (SGBs) with financing needs under US$ 2 million, and in 2021,introduced a lower ticket size category of US$ 25,000 – US$ 100,000 to complement the existing range of US$ 100,000 – US$ 2,000,000 used to date.

Businesses and business proposals are selected on the basis of their commercial viability, innovation and potential development impact on the rural and marginalised communities. To ensure AECF does not crowd out other sources of finance, investees co-finance the total cost of the project, with the exception of youth/women-focused and businesses in fragile contexts.

Read the AECF Introductory Statement