IFC Announces Projects to Support MSMEs, Green Projects, and Healthcare in Egypt and across East Africa

Cairo, Egypt, February 15, 2026 – IFC today announced five projects to support small- and medium-sized business development and job creation in Egypt and other parts of Africa in key sectors including climate finance, healthcare, and food security. The five new projects are:

·         Building on IFC’s strategic partnership with Banque Misr, a new project to significantly scale up green finance in Egypt, accelerating investments in energy efficiency, sustainable transport, green buildings, and renewable energy. Backed by a $150 million investment, the initiative also expands access to finance for micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), with a strong inclusion focus—allocating 20 percent of lending to women-owned businesses.

·         An advisory program with Export Development Bank of Egypt to develop robust data governance and climate reporting mechanisms under IFC’s Egypt30by30 program. Through this initiative, the bank will identify and track the impact of green transactions, increasing its strategic exposure to climate-positive projects and supporting the country’s broader transition to a green economy.

·         A partnership with GlobalCorp Group, one of Egypt's leading NBFI platforms, to expand access to leasing and factoring for micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), with a focus on businesses operating in vulnerable communities across Egypt—helping diversify funding sources and strengthen private sector resilience. Supported by a dual‑currency investment of $30 million, the initiative advances capital market development through IFC’s first local‑currency securitization in Egypt and the country’s first DFI investment in a leasing securitization.

·         A partnership with GMED Holding and its subsidiaries (EGMED) to expand access to quality healthcare across Egypt and East Africa through increasing production capacity and availing high quality medical products and equipment. The initiative strengthens healthcare infrastructure in multiple African countries and builds local capacity by providing specialized training for medical staff on the latest medical technologies, supported by a $15 million investment.

·         A partnership with Breadfast, a multi-vertical consumer supply-chain technology platform, to accelerate business expansion and create large-scale employment across logistics, manufacturing, technology, and customer service. The initiative strengthens food security through advanced distribution infrastructure and expands market access for SMEs in the retail sector, supported by an investment of $13 million.

The five projects were signed during a visit to Egypt by IFC’s Vice President for Africa, Ethiopis Tafara, and on the sidelines of the “Innovating for Resilience: Financing for a Sustainable Future” forum, co-hosted by the World Bank Group and the Central Bank of Egypt, to advance sustainable finance and foster collaboration for climate resilience in Africa. The forum is organized by the IFC’s 30by30 program, which convenes public and private sector partners to mobilize private financing for climate-mitigation and adaptation projects in Egypt, Mexico, the Philippines, and South Africa. The program is funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety.

In his speech, H.E. Mr. Hassan Abdalla, Governor of the Central Bank of Egypt, affirmed that “Climate change is no longer an environmental issue, but has evolved into a financial one. Within this framework, the CBE is playing a pivotal role in catalyzing the banking sector’s transition towards a more sustainable future through issuing the Sustainable Finance Guiding Principles in 2021, the Sustainable Finance Binding Regulations in 2022 and the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) reporting requirements in 2025. Our participation in this conference aims to promote financial and banking stability efforts, and strengthen the long-term competitiveness of Egypt’s economy.”

“For fifty years, IFC has worked with Egypt to turn economic challenges into opportunities by supporting a dynamic and competitive private sector to deliver lasting development impact in Egypt,” said Ethiopis Tafara, IFC’s Vice President for Africa. “Through our investment and advisory engagements, we are supporting the advancement of national priorities, from clean energy and climate finance to healthcare and MSMEs development, for a more resilient, competitive, and inclusive Egyptian economy”.

Since beginning operations in Egypt, IFC has invested and mobilized nearly $10 billion in development projects and has an advisory portfolio of $27 million in the country.  IFC's engagement supports Egypt’s strategy to expand access to finance, scale climate‑positive investments, strengthen industrial competitiveness, enhance infrastructure, and improve the quality of essential services such as healthcare. IFC also works to advance gender inclusion and digital innovation, enabling the private sector to drive long‑term economic growth and job creation.

Note to the editor

IFC’s investment in Global Corp is supported by a swap rate buydown from the blended finance facility under the Prospects Partnership (PROSPECTS), led by the Government of the Netherlands, which works to expand access to education, social protection, and decent jobs for host communities and forcibly displaced populations across East Africa and the Middle East. The investment is also supported by the WBG Joint Capital Markets Program (J CAP) in Egypt, supported by the government of Switzerland through Swiss SECO via the WBG’s Sustainable Finance Facility (SFF).