About 400 million people in sub-Saharan Africa live in extreme poverty. The region also has more conflict-affected countries than any other. IFC plays a comprehensive role here.

We help businesses improve productivity and establish links to broader markets, expand financial and social inclusion, and boost prosperity in ways that help limit conflict.

Our investments across a range of sectors help drive the region’s development forward. We collaborate with other World Bank Group institutions to support agriculture, power, job creation, health, education, and capital markets. Our priorities include bridging the infrastructure gap, helping build productive industries, and fostering inclusive business approaches.

In sub-Saharan Africa, between July 1, 2019 and June 30, 2020, IFC committed $4.6 billion in investments to private firms across the region. Despite the challenges of delivering during a global health pandemic, IFC exceeded its fiscal year 2019 commitment of $4.1 billion.

Investments focused on sectors including healthcare, agribusiness, solar energy, housing finance, infrastructure, and financing for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), including in fragile and conflict-affected situations (FCS) where IFC committed more than $1.2 billion in investments.

Focus Areas

  • Infrastructure

    IFC aims to help Africa build a modern economy with ports, railways, telecoms, and power by attracting private expertise, management and finance while maintaining the right balance between private and public interests.

    Learn more

  • Financial Inclusion

    IFC helps our financial intermediary clients address their financing needs and offer know-how and tools to use capital to their best advantage.

    Learn more

  • Agribusiness

    Recognizing that 60 percent of Africans derive their livelihoods from farming, IFC supports an improvement in agricultural yields and exports, and the modernization of the food sector. We also support commodity exchanges and financial institutions that serve farmers and agri-enterprises.

    Learn more

  • Tourism, Retail, and Property

    IFC focuses on key industries that form the foundation of sustainable growth and provide affordable goods and services, create jobs, contribute to government revenue, and stimulate the growth of local small and medium enterprises.

    Learn more

  • Health and Education

    IFC works closely with a variety of stakeholders in sub-Saharan Africa to develop the health sector in a holistic way, while also partnering with private education providers to bridge the education gap.

    Learn more

  • Fragile and Conflict-Affected Situations

    IFC’s Conflict-Affected States in Africa (CASA) Initiative, launched in 2008, is helping design and implement integrated strategies targeted to support economic recovery in several countries in the region.

    Learn more