Sahel Capital, a prominent investment advisor in the food and agriculture sector in sub-Sahara Africa, has successfully advised Social Enterprise Fund for Agriculture in Africa (SEFAA) in the approval of a c.US$610K term loan and working capital loan. SEFAA aims to stimulate economic activities among smallholder farmers by empowering the social enterprises that engage with them.
Oyster Agribusiness, a Ghanaian-based enterprise, specializes in enabling market access for smallholder farmers in Kintampo to large FMCG companies and the export market. This approach allows farmers to earn more from their products compared to selling to aggregators who take a higher proportion of the margin. Additionally, Oyster provides timely input support to smallholder farmers to increase productivity during the cultivation season and offers training on advanced agricultural practices, ensuring their produce meets the quality standards required by large FMCG clients. Currently, Oyster works with 4,500 farmers across the Kintampo region in Ghana.
“Oyster Agribusiness plays a critical role in providing market access for smallholder farmers in rural Ghana, where FMCG companies often lack the resources to source directly. By connecting these companies with local farmers, Oyster enables FMCG players to trace the origin of their inputs more effectively, ensuring compliance with global standards and allowing them to monitor the positive impacts of their activities on farmers' livelihoods. Oyster maintains a well-managed database of its network of farmers, helping FMCG partners achieve transparency in their supply chains. Through partnership with Oyster, FMCG can do more for smallholder farmers as they remain the backbone of the food system in Ghana,” stated Deji Adebusoye, a Partner at Sahel Capital.
Edmond Kombat, CEO of Oyster Agribusiness, expressed enthusiasm for the partnership with SEFAA, stating, "Oyster identified a gap in the value chain where farmers were consistently underpaid for their efforts. This realization fueled our ambition to enhance smallholder farmers' livelihoods by providing them with better market access. Since our inception, we have onboarded 4,500 farmers and secured 14 clients ready to offtake commodities directly from them. Partnering with SEFAA will strengthen our ability to broaden market access for more farmers and ensure fair pricing for their produce."
Sahel Capital currently manages two funds: the Fund for Agricultural Finance in Nigeria (FAFIN), which has investments in SME agribusinesses in Nigeria, and the Social Enterprise Fund for Agriculture in Africa (SEFAA), which provides primarily structured debt to agribusiness SMEs across 13 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Sahel Capital is also raising capital for a successor fund, Sahel Capital Agribusiness Fund II, which will focus on investment opportunities across West Africa.