Dakar, Senegal, November 4, 2026 - To improve agricultural productivity and expand access to finance and markets for smallholder farmers in Senegal, IFC today announced a partnership with Tolbi, a Senegalese agricultural technology company.
By 2030, IFC’s investment in Tolbi, in partnership with the GAFSP Business Investment Financing Track (BIFT), aims to provide 2 million farmers and cooperatives with agronomic advice, access to finance, and links to markets. The investment will support the expansion of Tolbi’s precision agriculture services.
Tolbi combines satellite imagery, artificial intelligence, and data collected by field agents to monitor crops, estimate yields, and provide tailored advice. This helps farmers make better planting and input decisions and gives lenders, insurers, and buyers greater visibility into production and risks.
“Since day one, our goal has been to use technology to improve the lives of farmers in Africa, helping them achieve better yields and better incomes,” said Mouhamadou Lamine Kébé, CEO of Tolbi. “Today,e artificial intelligence and satellite imagery to their access to financing and to markets. IFC's investment bring to many more farmers across the continent”.
“Better access to finance and agricultural data can help smallholder farmers boost productivity, reach new markets, and increase incomes,” said Makhtar Diop, IFC Managing Director. “By supporting innovators like Tolbi, IFC is connecting farmers with banks and buyers, unlocking private investment and creating jobs in Senegal’s agricultural sector.”
Financial institutions in Senegal often lack the reliable agricultural data needed to assess risks and extend credit to smallholder farmers. Limited access to data and financing leaves many farmers without the resources to invest in their businesses, improve productivity, and reach markets. By connecting farmers, lenders, and agricultural buyers through digital technology, the partnership aims to unlock financing and create new opportunities for income growth and job creation in rural communities.
In addition to its financing support, IFC will provide advisory services to help Tolbi expand its field-agent network and deepen partnerships with cooperatives, agribusinesses, and financial institutions, connecting farmers to financing, inputs, technical assistance, and buyers within coordinated value chains.
The investment supports the World Bank Group's agricultural development agenda in Senegal and aligns with AgriConnect's priorities to strengthen value chains, mobilize private capital, improve food security, and create jobs. The partnership also reflects a broader opportunity across West Africa: where digital agricultural services can improve risk assessment, strengthen links between farmers and private sector partners, and open investment opportunities in rural economies.
About IFC
IFC — a member of the World Bank Group — is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. We work in more than 100 countries, using our capital, expertise, and influence to create markets and opportunities in developing countries. In fiscal year 2026, IFC committed a record $105 billion to private companies and financial institutions in developing countries, leveraging private sector solutions and mobilizing private capital to create a world free of poverty on a livable planet. For more information, visit www.ifc.org.
Stay Connected with IFC on social media.
About GAFSP BIFT
BIFT (Business Investment Financing Track), is a major pilot program managed under the World Bank-hosted Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP), which is blended finance platform for mobilizing private investment into smallholder-linked agribusinesses in frontier markets.
About Tolbi
Tolbi is a pan-African AgTech company that combines satellite imagery, artificial intelligence and field operations to build a more sustainable, resilient and competitive agri-food supply chain. Its platform, TOLBI OS, delivers crop monitoring, yield forecasting, traceability and EUDR compliance, and digital MRV for carbon, and connects farmers, cooperatives, agribusinesses and financial institutions to unlock access to financing, inputs and markets. Tolbi operates in Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Benin, Congo and Tanzania, working with more than 37 partner cooperatives and over 19,000 farmers.
Contacts
For IFC
For Tolbi
Stay Informed
Sign up to have customizable news & updates sent to you.