Two ATI programmes unlock ETB 4.2 billion for agri-enterprises, but loan sizes vary widely

#EBR_News Nov 12, 2026

Two programmes run by the Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Institute (ATI) helped agricultural enterprises secure more than ETB 4.2 billion in financing during the 2025/26 fiscal year, according to the institute’s annual report. 

The figures point to growing interest from banks and cooperatives in small agribusinesses, long seen as hard to lend to. They also show a sharp gap in how much each enterprise received.

The report says the Agri-Hub project enabled 146 micro, small and medium enterprises to secure loans totalling ETB 2.62 billion. The lenders were commercial banks, the Development Bank, rural savings and credit cooperatives and regional government support. 

Agri-Hub supports enterprises in the institute’s commercialisation woredas in Oromia, Amhara, South Ethiopia and Tigray. It has provided business skills support to 1,435 enterprises so far, trained 2,766 owners and staff and given tailored advice to 578 firms.

The second programme, the youth employment initiative known as ADEY, mobilised over ETB 1.59 billion for 22,835 agricultural enterprises, the report says. 

It adds that 78 percent of these were women-led. ADEY, implemented in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation, linked enterprises with banks, microfinance institutions, savings cooperatives and digital finance providers. 

The report also says the programme has helped establish 31,986 youth-owned agricultural enterprises this year.

The average sums involved differ widely. By calculation from the report’s figures, Agri-Hub’s loans work out at roughly ETB 18 million per enterprise, while ADEY’s financing averages about ETB 70,000. The report presents the two programmes separately and does not state whether the figures overlap.

Banks appear to be warming to the sector, but the report suggests the groundwork is still being laid. ATI says it has partnered with Tsedey Bank and Oromia Bank, with talks continuing with Siinqee Bank and Buna Bank. 

It organised one national and nine regional workshops reaching more than 695 enterprises on financial literacy and bankability. It also completed a national Agri-SME finance strategy, which includes an investment readiness certificate framework, six finance pathways and an implementation roadmap. 

The strategy followed an assessment of public bank financing instruments and alternative financing mechanisms.