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Access Holdings Plc has entered into a strategic partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, to expand trade finance and strengthen access to regional and international markets for businesses across Africa.
The agreement, signed on November 4, 2026, on the sidelines of the Africa Financial Industry Summit (AFIS) in Luanda, Angola, is expected to reinforce the financial capacity of Access Group, enabling it to increase funding for businesses, facilitate cross-border transactions and support trade flows across its markets.
The partnership is also part of Access Holdings’ broader capital-raising programme, through which the financial services group is seeking to attract development finance institutions and other long-term investors to support its expansion and sustain growth across Africa.
The transaction is significant for the Group as it seeks to leverage its growing continental presence to deepen financing for African enterprises, particularly businesses seeking to participate in regional and international trade.
Africa continues to face a significant trade financing gap, with limited access to affordable long-term capital constraining the ability of businesses to expand production, penetrate new markets and participate effectively in cross-border commerce.
By strengthening Access Group’s capital base, the IFC partnership is expected to improve its capacity to finance enterprises and trade-related activities, potentially supporting businesses that require funding to import inputs, expand operations and access new markets.
The agreement was signed by Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, chairman of Access Holdings; Ethiopis Tafara, IFC regional vice president for Africa; and Roosevelt Ogbonna, managing director and chief executive officer of Access Bank Plc.
Aig-Imoukhuede said the partnership reflected a shared commitment to building stronger African financial institutions capable of supporting the continent’s economic development.
‘Our partnership with IFC has always been anchored on a shared belief that strong African financial institutions are essential to Africa’s growth. This investment is a vote of confidence in the institution we have built and in the direction we are taking it,’ he said.
He noted that having established a significant presence across African markets, the Group was now focused on translating its continental scale into greater economic value through increased financing for businesses and trade.
‘Having built scale across Africa, our task now is to turn that scale into value: for the businesses we finance, the trade we facilitate and the communities we serve.
‘Strengthening Access Group’s capital base deepens its role as a bridge between Africa and global markets, enabling us to mobilise more trade finance and investment for African enterprises,’ he added.
The chairman described the agreement as an important milestone in the Group’s broader efforts to attract long-term capital from investors aligned with its growth ambitions.
For IFC, the partnership reinforces its strategy of mobilising private-sector investment through financial institutions to address financing constraints, strengthen African financial markets and support enterprise development.
Ethiopis Tafara, IFC regional vice president for Africa, said improving access to trade finance remained critical to helping African businesses expand beyond domestic markets, generate employment and contribute to economic growth.
‘Expanding access to trade finance is essential to helping African businesses grow, reach new markets, and create jobs. Across the World Bank Group, we are working to mobilise private capital, strengthen financial markets, and create the conditions for private sector-led growth,’ he said.
‘This partnership with Access Group will help channel more financing to businesses across the continent and translate Africa’s entrepreneurial potential into greater economic opportunity.’
The partnership comes amid increasing efforts by African financial institutions to mobilise international development capital to address the continent’s financing needs, particularly in trade, infrastructure and private-sector development.
For Access Holdings, attracting development finance institutions could provide an additional source of long-term funding to support its ambition of becoming a leading financial services group across Africa and other international markets.
The Group has pursued an expansion strategy built around strengthening its banking operations, growing its presence in African markets and connecting businesses to international financial networks.
However, converting this expansion into sustainable returns will depend partly on its ability to deepen lending, support trade flows and build stronger relationships with businesses operating across the continent.
The IFC partnership is expected to support that ambition by strengthening the Group’s financial capacity and expanding the resources available to finance businesses.