Mauritania Boosts SME and Women Entrepreneurship with €25.5 Million AfDB Trade Finance Facility

In a significant move to enhance financial access and economic resilience, the African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a €25.5 million trade finance package for the Générale de Banque de Mauritanie (GBM). This financial boost is designed to empower small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), large local corporations, and women-led businesses operating in critical sectors of Mauritania’s economy.

The package comprises a €15 million line of credit, a €5 million trade finance guarantee facility, and a €500,000 grant under the AfDB’s Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) programme, financed through the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi). It also includes $5 million in co-financing from the Africa Growing Together Fund (AGTF), a collaborative facility between the AfDB and the People’s Bank of China.

This funding is expected to facilitate vital imports for sectors such as renewable energy, agriculture, fisheries, telecommunications, infrastructure, and light industry while addressing urgent domestic needs. It also strengthens GBM’s ability to provide letters of credit and other trade instruments with enhanced security, as the guarantee facility allows the AfDB to offer up to 100% coverage to international confirming banks.

GBM CEO Leila Boumatou emphasised the strategic importance of the initiative, noting its potential to catalyse inclusive growth by empowering female entrepreneurs and bridging the financing gap faced by SMEs. The bank, which already serves over 1,300 business clients and plays a crucial role in Mauritania’s trade finance ecosystem, sees this as a transformative step forward.

AfDB’s North Africa Deputy Director General Malinne Blomberg stated the move is aligned with the Bank’s objective to scale up private sector development, enhance productivity, and generate jobs across Mauritania. The collaboration underscores GBM’s unique role as a woman-led institution at the forefront of Mauritania’s financial innovation.

The trade finance facility not only injects critical liquidity into Mauritania’s banking sector but also opens up vast opportunities for business expansion, export-import efficiency, and gender-inclusive entrepreneurship. The renewable energy, agribusiness, and light manufacturing sectors key to Mauritania’s development stand to benefit greatly from easier access to trade finance tools and investment. Moreover, GBM’s reinforced role as a conduit for international funding enhances investor confidence and strengthens Mauritania’s integration into regional and global value chains.

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