AlphaSeeds

The philanthropic investment company working to empower local communities and strengthen food security in Africa by contributing in developing resilient, sustainable, and profitable agribusinesses.

AlphaSeeds bridges the worlds of philanthropy and investment, combining the heart of philanthropy with the discipline of investment rigor.

Challenges of the African agribusiness industry

Africa agri-SMEs financing gap graph

Africa faces significant challenges in its agribusiness sector, including food import dependency, structural weaknesses, and a glaring financing gap for Agri-SMEs. Despite the sector’s critical role in employment and GDP, only a fraction of needed financing is met, leaving vast potential untapped. In addition, the region grapples with the escalating impacts of climate change, necessitating a focus on climate resilience. AlphaSeeds believes in an investment-driven development approach over traditional aid, focusing on creating local jobs with fair remuneration within socially and environmentally respectful frameworks.

83% of needed financing of Agri-SMEs in sub-Saharan Africa is unmet. There are ~130 thousands of Agri-SMEs in Sub-Saharan Africa. The current articulated demand of Agri-SMEs is estimated at approximately USD 90 Bn annually in Sub-Saharan Africa of which only USD 15.5 Bn is currently met. Even though agriculture employs up to 60% of the population and accounts for 30% of GDP but the sector receives less than 5% of commercial bank lending and this money only goes to the top of the pyramid.

Join us in fighting these challenges with sustainable and impact investing!