• The EBRD approved its first agribusiness financing in West Africa with loans totaling about $153 million in Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire.
• The bank granted $70 million to Robust International and €70 million ($82.9 million) to Valency International.
• The operations mark the start of the EBRD’s agrifood portfolio in a sub-region where Benin, Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire gained beneficiary status in July 2025.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development approved its first agribusiness financing operations in Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire, the institution said on February 17.

The bank granted two loans totaling about $153 million to companies active in the trading and processing of agricultural commodities. West Africa holds comparative advantages in strategic crops such as cocoa, cashew nuts and sesame, yet limited access to financing continues to constrain the development of associated value chains.

The two loans represent the first step in building the EBRD’s agrifood portfolio in West Africa. Since July 2025, only three West African countries — Benin, Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire — have held EBRD beneficiary status. Before this announcement, the bank had not executed any agrifood-sector investments in the targeted sub-region.

Two operations aimed at supporting agricultural value chains

The first operation consists of a $70 million loan to Singapore-based Robust International, which trades and processes cashew nuts, sesame and other agricultural products. The bank said the financing will strengthen the company’s working capital needs in Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire and support the implementation of a training program focused on organic compliance, fair trade standards and improved farming practices for smallholder producers.

In a separate statement, the institution said it granted a €70 million ($82.9 million) loan to Singapore-based Valency International. The company will use the funds to finance purchases of cashew nuts, soybeans, cocoa and sesame for processing and export in the two countries. The company will also receive technical assistance to strengthen its climate governance practices.

“Our first investments in food and agribusiness in Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire mark an important milestone in supporting two dynamic economies where agriculture provides livelihoods for millions of people. By strengthening value chains and improving agrifood trade flows, we can help farmers access larger markets and increase rural incomes,” said Odile Renaud-Basso, President of the EBRD.

The move opens the door to further financing opportunities for agribusiness players in West African countries eligible for EBRD support.

A Timely Move

The announcement comes as Côte d’Ivoire launches its 2025/2026 cashew marketing season. The country ranks as the world’s leading cashew nut producer with annual output exceeding 1 million tonnes, and it continues to expand rapidly in the processing segment.

According to preliminary estimates from independent trade advisory service N’kalô, the Ivorian sector processed 600,000 tonnes of cashew nuts, or about 81% of the total volume processed in the sub-region during the year.

This article was initially published in French by Stéphanas Assocle

Adapted in English by Ange J.A de Berry Quenum