AfDB Scales Up Financial Support for Mauritania's SMEs & Women Entrepreneurs

• AfDB Provides €21M in trade finance and grants to drive inclusive growth
• GBM secures €25.5M AfDB support to expand SME and women-led business financing
• The bank confirms financing for key sector imports, including renewables and agriculture

The African Development Bank (AfDB) approves €25.5 Million facility to strengthen GBM’s leading portfolio across key business segments in Mauritania. The facility features a €15 million dedicated trade credit line, a €5 million trade guarantee instrument, and a €500,000 gender-focused grant provided under the AFAWA framework to strengthen financial inclusion.

The Co-Financing components includes a $5 Million contribution from AfDB in partnership with the Africa Growing Together Fund, funded by the People’s Bank of China. The financing will enable imports of critical equipment and essential goods, targeting high-impact sectors such as energy, fisheries, and telecom.

According to Ahmed Attout, Director at AfDB, the trade finance guarantee facility will offer up to 100% risk encourage, empowering confirming banks to process trade instruments issues by Générale de Banque de Mauritanie.

“This initiative goes beyond financial progress – it is a real lever for inclusive growth,” says Leila Boumatou, chair of Générale de Banque de Mauritanie. “It empowers our entrepreneurs, particularly women, to turn local ambitions into tangible outcomes. The facility will allow us to bridge a structural financing gap and translate financial instruments into real impact – supporting women-led SMEs, fostering industrial innovation, and helping build a more resilient Mauritanian economy.”

Highlighting its development impact, AfDB’s Malinne Blomberg said the new facility directly supports the bank’s private sector agenda in Mauritania and will contribute significantly to job creation. GBM, recognized by AfDB as a key financial actor, specializes in providing capital to SMEs and vital sectors of the economy.