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Categories: swedfund

Mohizi is a small-scale, women-led plantain chips producer in Côte d'Ivoire that has been able to formalise and grow its business with loans and support from COFINA. Photo: Axel Hallgren/Swedfund

Closing MSME finance gap in Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal

Swedfund has invested EUR 20 million in Compagnie Financière Africaine (COFINA), a leading mesofinance institution that provides loans to micro, small and medium-sized businesses in West and Central Africa to enable them to develop and grow their business.

Inside Equity Fund invested in Alpha Polyplast, a Zambian company that specialises in recycling plastic waste, to increase its capacity to recycle plastic waste throughout the country. Photo: Alpha Polyplast

Catalysing sustainable growth through SMEs in Southeast Africa

Swedfund, Sweden’s development finance institution, has invested USD 10 million in Inside Equity Fund II, aiming to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with impactful and innovative solutions in Zambia, Madagascar, Mauritius, Tanzania, Malawi and Mozambique.

Photo: Sam Makoji / Getty Images

Investment for enhanced access to finance for MSMEs in Nigeria

Swedfund invests USD 30 million in Access Bank Nigeria Plc to reach underserved MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises) at scale. By providing long-term capital and capacity building to unbanked and under-banked companies in Nigeria, the investment is expected to support sustainable private sector development and inclusive growth.

Xurya’s solar systems in Indonesia, South Jakarta. Photo: Xurya Daya Indonesia

Swedfund makes first renewable energy investment in Indonesia

Swedfund, Sweden's development finance institution, has announced an equity investment of USD 10 million in Xurya, an innovative Indonesian solar rooftop company. Xurya enables commercial and industrial companies across the country to adopt solar power with no upfront costs, displacing fossil fuel-based power generation.

Swedfund invests in Teyliom Finance to promote financial inclusion in West Africa

Swedfund invests in Teyliom Finance to promote financial inclusion in West Africa

Swedfund invests USD 5 million in a loan to Teyliom Finance, a subsidiary of Teyliom Group, a leading pan-African group active in five industries, across twelve countries. The investment is directed towards Bridge Bank Microfinance to strengthen financing for micro, small and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs) and is expected to enhance financial empowerment of women in Côte D'Ivoire.

Abidjan, the Ivory Coast.

Investment to strengthen small and medium sized companies in Francophone Africa

On December 31, 2023, Swedfund, Sweden’s Development Finance Institution, invested 15 MEUR Joliba Capital Fund I. The investment will enable growth of small and medium sized companies which are key for private sector growth and job creation in the least developed regions of Francophone Africa.

A female vendor (Micro entrepreneur) in wholesale flower market in Chennai, India.

Swedfund supports Indian micro-entrepreneurs

The limited access to credit for micro-entrepreneurs has been further worsened by the pandemic. At the same time, they are the second biggest employers in India and contribute to about 30% of the country’s GDP. Against that background the Swedish development finance institution, Swedfund, invests 20 MUSD in a long-term, senior unsecured loan to Five-Star Business Finance Limited (Five-Star).

Nurse in Subol Hospital in Lagos Nigeria.

Swedfund supports health entrepreneurs in Sub-Saharan Africa

Healthcare infrastructure in Sub-Saharan Africa is insufficient to meet the healthcare needs of its 1.1 billion population. Swedfund now commits EUR 5M in debt funding to Medical Credit Fund II, a fund that provides financing to small and medium-sized enterprises within the health sector in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Development finance for a sustainable future - Swedfund Integrated Report 2020

Sustainable growth and jobs top of the agenda as Swedfund publishes its Integrated Report

The pandemic has caused a multidimensional crisis that requires a multidimensional response. In many cases, development is regressing, jobs are lost and poverty is increasing, with huge consequences for people in developing countries. Swedfund’s publication of its Integrated Report serves to highlight the challenges ahead, but also the opportunities that exist and our achievements so far.

Swedish funding to Co-operative Bank of Kenya enables growth in the private sector

Swedish funding to Co-operative Bank of Kenya enables growth in the private sector

Swedfund provides a USD 15 million long-term subordinated loan to Co-operative Bank of Kenya (“Co-op Bank”) to support the Bank’s lending to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and green finance projects. By supporting Co-op Bank, Swedfund will contribute to job creation and private sector development.

Additional commitment to strengthen the support to African companies

Additional commitment to strengthen the support to African companies

The Swedish Development Finance Institution Swedfund is making an additional investment in African Development Partners (“ADP”) III to further support the development of the private sector in Africa. The fund will contribute to significant social development by creating new jobs and tax revenues through its investments across the African continent. The fund exercises active ownership with a clear

Picture from SOS Médecins de Nuit (MDN), a healthcare clinic based in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. A clinic funded by African Rivers Fund.

Swedish investments for private sector growth – in DRC, Uganda and Angola

Today Swedfund announces an investment of USD 10m in African Rivers Fund 3 (ARF 3), together with IFC, FMO, BIO and DGGF. African Rivers Fund 3 will primarily provide loan financing to small and medium-sized companies in DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo), Uganda and Angola.

A child in Kenya is reading in the light from off-grid solar energy. SunFunder borrower [M-KOPA], Kenya.

​Swedfund makes large commitment to the off-grid solar energy sector

Swedfund, the Swedish Development Finance Institution, commits USD 12m to the Solar Energy Transformation Fund managed by SunFunder. The investment will contribute to increased access to electricity, as well as the increased generation of renewable energy for exposed demographics in the least developed countries in the world according to the OECD DAC list. The investment is in line with Swedfund’s

All SDGs are relevant to us as a company and to the investments that we make in order to create sustainable businesses. At the same time, some of the goals are more prominent than others in our business.

A strategic business plan

Swedfund’s mission is to invest in countries which, according to the OECD/DAC’s definition, are eligible for development finance. We prioritise investments in the least developed countries, while geographically we focus on sub-Saharan Africa and certain regions of Asia.

Swedfund's value creation model

With a focus on value creation

Swedfund’s value creation process has been developed on 40 years of experience of investing in sustainable businesses in the world's most challenging countries and describes how we best fulfill our mission.

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