Africa Agriculture and Trade Investment Fund (AATIF) Financing

About the financing The Africa Agriculture and Trade Investment Fund (AATIF) provides market-based financing for commercially viable investments that strengthen agricultural value chains, food security and rural livelihoods across Africa. The opportunity is relevant to established agri-tech and agribusiness ventures, larger agricultural intermediaries and financial institutions that finance African agriculture. What support is available AATIF currently focuses on debt financing, including senior debt and mezzanine instruments. Debt may have a term of up to 10 years, or exceptionally up to 12 years for infrastructure investments. The fund may co-invest with other partners or participate through risk-sharing arrangements with a local bank or intermediary. This is repayable investment finance, not a grant or subsidy. Beneficiaries that receive AATIF financing may separately qualify for technical-assistance support, for example for management training or agricultural risk-management capacity building. Eligible applicant profiles Applicants may apply as: - a direct investee company carrying out agricultural activities in one or more African countries, including inputs, farming, processing, sales or trade; - an intermediary investee company that serves smallholder farmers or local agricultural small and medium-sized enterprises as an off-taker, service provider or credit provider; or - a financial institution that finances the African agricultural sector. Projects are assessed for financial, social and environmental viability, their effects on the local economy and the management team's ability to deliver the investment. AATIF says projects should ideally have operational structures in place and be beyond the planning stage. Financing size and conditions AATIF normally considers investments of at least US$5 million. Smaller investments may still be presented when they are scalable, economically feasible and can demonstrate significant development impact. Investments above US$15 million are not automatically excluded, as AATIF may arrange co-investment partners where appropriate. Applicants should also note the stated equity or subordinated-debt-to-total-assets ratio of 33%. How to apply Use the official online funding application and select the applicant profile that fits the project. Applicants complete a questionnaire and provide enough information for an initial assessment. Required supporting material includes: - a business plan; - audited financial statements for the previous three years, where available; and - an environmental and social impact assessment, or another document explaining the project's social and environmental impact. Submit each project separately. If a project appears eligible, the investment adviser says it will contact the applicant within two weeks to discuss the next steps. Application timing Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and no fixed closing date is stated. Applicants should read the official eligibility and investment-process information before submitting.

Applicants should be operating in African agriculture as a direct agricultural company, an agribusiness intermediary serving smallholders or local SMEs, or a financial institution financing the sector. Projects must be financially, socially and environmentally viable, supported by a capable management team and ideally already operational rather than remaining at the planning stage. The application requires a business plan, up to three years of audited financial statements where available, and environmental and social impact information. AATIF normally considers investments from US$5 million, although smaller scalable and high-impact investments may be considered as exceptions. The financing is repayable and is not a grant or subsidy.