• Proparco granted BCI Guinée a $10 million senior loan to boost SME financing, adding to earlier $19 million trade finance lines.

• SMEs represent over 80% of Guinea’s formal businesses and contribute 18–20% of GDP.

• Guinea’s banking sector expanded private credit by 5% year-on-year to $2.56 billion in Q1 2025, while non-performing loans declined.

BCI Guinée signed a $10 million financing agreement with Proparco, the private-sector arm of Agence Française de Développement (AFD), on September 8, 2025. The senior loan will expand access to credit for small and medium-sized enterprises, which account for more than 80% of Guinea’s formal entrepreneurial base and contribute between 18% and 20% of GDP.

“Proparco reaffirms its confidence in Groupe BCI through this new $10 million financing. This support adds to the $19 million trade finance line granted to Groupe BCI, including $7 million specifically for BCI Guinée,” said Sidy Mohamed Cherif, managing director of BCI Guinée.

? @Proparco et BCI Guinée s’allient pour soutenir les #PME guinéennes ! ??

✨Ce permettra à la BCI Guinée de renforcer son rôle d’appui aux #PME, moteur essentiel de la croissance et de l’emploi en Guinée.@AmbaFrGuinee, @francediplo, @AFD_France

?https://t.co/Ico5TIbqHp pic.twitter.com/TFeRFbN5JY

— Proparco (@Proparco) September 9, 2025

Since entering Guinea in 2012, BCI has specialized in serving SMEs, making it a key lender for local businesses. Alongside funding, Proparco will provide technical assistance to help the bank implement an environmental and social management system.

The loan follows earlier collaboration between Proparco and BCI Mauritanie, the parent company of BCI Guinée. In October 2022, they signed a $12 million guarantee facility to support imports of essential goods, including food and medical equipment.

Guinea had 19 active banks as of March 2025, according to the Central Bank of the Republic of Guinea (BCRG). The central bank reported that private-sector credit rose 5% year-on-year to 22,300 billion GNF ($2.56 billion) in the first quarter of 2025.

Lending mainly targeted hydrocarbons, trade, industry, energy and construction. The report also showed improved loan quality. The gross deterioration rate, which measures troubled loans, dropped from 10.1% in March 2024 to 8.2% in March 2025. Non-performing and disputed loans fell 8.7% to 1,816 billion GNF in March 2025, compared with 1,989 billion GNF in December 2023.

This article was initially published in French by Chamberline Moko 

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum