EIB Global lends €7.5M to Centenary Bank for Malawi's smallholder farmers
What's the deal? EIB GlobalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → will provide €7.5 million in debt financing to Centenary BankDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → to expand lending to smallholder farmers and micro agri-food businesses in Malawi. The funding targets agri-food enterprises with fewer than 10 employees and small-scale farmers. EIB Global is the development arm of the European Investment Bank Group.
Where the money goes: Half the financing is earmarked to promote sustainable, climate-resilient agriculture, and the other half to advance the economic empowerment of women. The loan is backed by an EU-financed guarantee.
Why now? Agriculture accounts for more than 70% of employment in Malawi, yet sustainable farming remains underdeveloped due to limited access to finance. Women entrepreneurs, central to the country's agricultural value chains, face additional gender-specific barriers.
The loan comes with a technical assistance programme to help Centenary Bank scale up agriculture lending and reach underserved clients.
What's the endgame? The operation supports the European UnionDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →'s "Global Gateway" investment commitments and aims to reduce rural poverty. "Our partnership with Centenary Bank puts long-term funding where it is needed most: in rural communities," said EIB Vice-President Marko Primorac.
Beatrix Mosiwa, acting managing director of Centenary Bank, called the deal "a great milestone," adding that it brings the bank's "mission of transforming lives through inclusive and sustainable financial solutions" closer to reality.
The signal: The deal deepens the EU's economic ties with Malawi, where agri-food products make up most exports to the bloc. Since 1977, EIB Global has invested more than €630 million across 47 projects in Malawi, spanning energy, water, and transport — and this partnership channels that engagement toward locally rooted businesses that can create jobs.
Read more: eib.org
Image credit: Centenary Bank
