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Ecobank Group partly owned by Cameroonian banker Alain Nkontchou, has secured a €10 million ($12 million) trade finance guarantee from Proparco. With an emphasis on enhancing access to raw materials in Chad, the deal seeks to expand trade and small business financing throughout Africa.
Ecobank, Proparco partner to boost Chad’s food security
The deal was signed on the opening day of the Africa Financial Summit 2025 as part of the Food & Agriculture Resilience Mission (FARM) initiative launched in 2022 by France, the European Union, the G7, and the African Union. The move will improve food security in vulnerable countries and also support trade and production systems across the continent.
Under the arrangement, the guarantee will back Ecobank Chad’s operations, enabling local businesses to import key raw materials that are not readily available in the domestic market. The partnership also falls within AFD Group’s broader “Choose Africa” program, which supports small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), start-ups, and microenterprises in Africa with financing and capacity-building tools.
Ecobank Group Chief Executive Officer Jeremy Awori said the collaboration represents more than just a financial transaction. “This renewed partnership with Proparco reflects our shared commitment to building the economic resilience of Chad and the wider region,” Awori said. “By facilitating access to essential raw materials, we are supporting local industrialization, food security, and value creation on the continent.”
Alain Nkontchou to boost holding after $100 million deal
Ecobank remains one of Africa’s largest independent regional banking groups, serving customers in 36 countries. Beyond this latest partnership, the bank’s leadership and ownership structure are also undergoing change. Cameroonian banker Alain Nkontchou is moving to expand his stake in Ecobank in an effort to cement his long-term interest in the group’s growth.
In August 2025, Nkontchou agreed to acquire South Africa’s Nedbank Group’s 21.2 percent shareholding in Ecobank for about $100 million through his private investment firm, Bosquet Investments. The transaction, which awaits regulatory approval, will bring Nkontchou’s total holding to 24.03 percent, equivalent to nearly 6 billion shares. It will also mark the end of Nedbank’s 17-year relationship with Ecobank, as disclosed in its interim financial results.
Nkontchou will become one of Ecobank's biggest shareholders after the deal is finalized, providing him the institutional knowledge and financial clout to influence the bank's next stage of expansion. New trade finance partnerships and a consolidated ownership structure for Ecobank indicate a renewed commitment to helping African businesses while preserving its standing as one of the top banking groups on the continent.
