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What we do

What we do

For more than 30 years, CFC has financed development projects. The multi-country dimension of the project financing mechanism and commodity initiatives undertaken by the Fund and its partners has proven to be the most suitable approach to improve overall problems and challenges in commodity sector in Member-Countries.

Replicable project outcomes and dissemination products mainly address issues such as: market access and development; agro-processing; product competitiveness; infrastructure; marketing and access to finance, among other related activities within the commodity sector.

Projects

The CFC has funded projects in over 40 different types of commodities and in partnership with Investment Funds or Equity financing etc. The commodities funded includes abaca, arachis, bamboo & rattan, bananas, cashew, cassava, castor seeds, citrus, cocoa, coconut, coffee, coir, copper, cotton, fish, fonio, groundnuts, gum arabic, hides & skins, jute, lead, maize, meat and livestock, medicinal herbs and plants, olive, palm oil, paprika, potatoes, rice, natural rubber, shea nut, sisal, sorghum & millet, soybean, cane sugar, tea, timber, tropical fruits, spices and zinc, most of which are produced almost entirely in Developing Countries and in partnership with investment Funds among which are: Africa Agriculture & Trade Investment Fund (AATIF), African Agriculture SME Fund, Eco Enterprise Funds, Moringa Agro-forestry Fund, SME Impact Fund and agRIF Coopertief U.A.

25th Call for Proposals
SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises)/enterprises/ cooperatives are invited to apply for Impact Finance in the commodity sector.

Smallholder farmers in developing countries struggle to add value to what they produce. The SMEs, while sourcing from the smallholders, may address the gaps that smallholders experience in finance, knowledge and information and thereby localizing the development to alleviate poverty.

The Common Fund for Commodities (CFC) invites applications for financial support from qualifying projects along the commodity value chains from SMEs/other businesses for alleviation of poverty. The CFC can offer a range of financial and technical instruments of support to meet specific needs of SMEs/enterprises, cooperatives, and institutions along the entire commodity value chain in its member countries.

Eligible projects are based in one of the 101 CFC Members Countries and intend to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals by investing in commodity value chains. Successful applications will demonstrate clear and visible potential to achieve sustainable positive impact on the livelihoods of the poor people who depend on commodities. To speed up the process, applications backed up by sovereign and/or other guarantees are preferred.

All interested SMEs/enterprises/cooperatives/governments are kindly invited to submit qualifying proposals no later than 1 October 2024.

Technical Assistance Facility

The Common Fund for Commodities’ Technical Assistance (TA) Facility team partners with impact-oriented investment funds in the agricultural commodities sector to leverage the development impact and commercial sustainability of their investments into agribusinesses across Africa and Latin America. The TA Facility team comprises staff with expertise in tropical agriculture, agroecology, agroforestry, project management, impact assessment and environmental, social and governance (ESG) risk management. The TA Facility team is supported by CFC financial and administrative staff. By leveraging this expertise, the TA Facility team aims to improve the operational capacity and profitability of the targeted agribusinesses and partner institutions as well as increase the developmental impact in the sectors and communities these businesses operate. This is achieved by providing expert consultancy and capacity development support and ensuring knowledge dissemination on agriculture and agri-finance with a specific focus on smallholder supply chains and sourcing models.

Working for a purpose

Impact

Impact is at the core of the CFC. As an impact investment fund dedicated to alleviation of poverty, CFC is committed to create positive impacts under all circumstances. Our mission is to work out an impact which is measurable using impact weighted matrix. As an impact investor, we work around a core set of beliefs and principles which only got revalidated due to widespread COVID-19 related devastations. During COVID-19, not everyone is affected in the same way. Poor, women, and youth proved to be far more vulnerable than others. SMEs and smallholders in the developing world were found to be most affected.

Operating as an impact investor, the CFC, which finances the communities which found to be more vulnerable and as such most affected, came to experience that if there were a right moment to make more interventions and accompanying investments in the developing world, this is the time.