Khady Diouf's millet field in Medine, in the Thiadiaye area of western Senegal, used to yield 30 kilogrammes of the nutrient-rich grain. From the same plot, she now harvests 64 kilogrammes. The increase is not due to luck or weather. It is the direct result of access to drought-resistant seeds, quality fertiliser, and training in climate-smart agricultural practices - all provided through myAgro.
Founded in 2011, myAgro is a Senegal-based social enterprise that helps smallholder farmers purchase high-quality agricultural inputs, such as fertilisers and climate-smart seeds, through a mobile layaway platform. Farmers save gradually over six to eight months using their mobile phones, with prices locked in at the outset to protect them from seasonal price increases. Once payments are complete, myAgro delivers the inputs in time for planting season. The enterprise also provides complementary climate-smart agricultural training. In 2025, myAgro served more than 250,000 farmers across Senegal, Mali, and Côte d'Ivoire, 65 percent of whom are women.
What Diouf did with those extra kilogrammes tells a story of compounded gains that extends well beyond higher yields. She sold the millet and bought a sheep. The following season, she sold more millet and purchased another sheep. She raised both animals, sold them at a profit, and upgraded to a cow, with enough left over to buy a small flock of chickens.
In rural West Africa, livestock is one of the few productive assets women can own and control independently. Diouf's progression from sheep to cattle marks a trajectory of wealth accumulation that has enhanced both her economic independence and her standing within her household.
"My ambition is to be a role model in my community," she said. "I am passionate about agriculture and animal husbandry. I share the valuable experiences I gained from myAgro with other women, encouraging them to follow in my footsteps."
The African Development Bank Group's Agri-food SME Catalytic Financing Mechanism (ACFM) is a blended finance facility designed to de-risk and increase financing for agricultural small and medium-sized enterprises across Africa. The Fund is providing myAgro with technical assistance, capitalised by the Government of Canada, including a grant to Nairobi-based management consulting and financial advisory firm Open Capital to execute the support programme.
Through this programme, myAgro received hands-on strategic advice to refine its financing strategy and connect with investors who share its mission. As a result, the company secured USD 1.3 million in new loans and is currently in discussions to raise additional funding.
In Fouh, in the Koulikoro region northeast of Bamako in Mali, groundnut farmer Naba Keita's participation in the myAgro programme has resulted in higher yields and elevated her standing both at home and in the wider community.
"My contribution to household expenses is vital for the family's well-being," she said. "When I started contributing, my children looked up to me as a role model. Due to my improved financial situation, I have gained a good reputation among women leaders in my village."
Keita's experience is not unique. Women constitute the majority of Africa's agricultural workforce. Yet, agri-food SMEs across the continent face an annual funding shortfall of USD 180 billion - a gap exacerbated by systemic gender barriers to accessing finance and growth opportunities. The Fund responds to that call by deploying concessional finance and technical support to transform this demographic into an economic dividend.
For Mossane Faye, also in Thiadiaye, roughly an hour and a half's drive southeast of Dakar-- the crucial factor was not only the quality of the inputs but also her ability to pay for them. The myAgro business model meets farmers like Faye where they are: its layaway model removes the burden of a single large upfront payment that would otherwise be out of reach.
"The payment system was essential for me," Faye said. "I could pay for packages gradually, without restrictions, which I couldn't have done otherwise. The quality of my harvest is outstanding; the millet grains have grown larger and the overall quantity has increased."
Besides improving access to finance for agri-food small and medium enterprises, the Fund also contributes to the New African Financial Architecture for Development, the Bank's continent-wide agenda to mobilise large-scale domestic capital for development by strengthening financial systems and expanding access to finance across the agricultural sector.
