AFD, Grameen Crédit Agricole Microfinance Foundation, Crédit Agricole Assurances, ZEP-RE and ACRE Africa Join Forces for African Agriculture.
Nairobi, May 11, 2026 – On the occasion of the Africa Forward Summit Business Forum, the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), the Grameen Crédit Agricole Microfinance Foundation, Crédit Agricole Assurances, ZEP-RE (PTA Reinsurance Company) and ACRE Africa announce the signing of a landmark partnership to strengthen agricultural finance in Africa.
This strategic partnership, supported by the French Ministry for Europe and French Treasury, aims to enhance agricultural resilience and improve smallholder farmers’ access to appropriate financial services through innovative solutions combining parametric insurance, digital tools, and credit risk analysis.
In a context where agriculture remains highly exposed to climate risks and underfinanced, this program adopts an innovative, high-leverage approach capable of mobilizing local financial institutions and accelerating access to credit for smallholder farmers.
ZEP-RE and its subsidiary ACRE Africa, key players in the regional insurance and reinsurance market, are partners of choice to ensure the large-scale deployment of solutions tailored to African contexts, in close collaboration with banks, microfinance institutions, and agricultural value chains.
The Partnership
Quotes
By combining climate insurance, financing and digital solutions, we empower farmers to sustainably secure their operations. Because there can be no sustainable agricultural financing without sustainable protection: it is by mitigating risk that we make investment possible and lasting. Véronique Faujour, Secretary General of Credit Agricole S.A. and Chief Executive Officer of Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation
Facing climate and food security challenges, this partnership reflects our determination to take concrete action for high-impact solutions by leveraging our expertise in insurance, risk management and innovation, in support of and for the development of African agricultural value chains.
Nicolas Denis, Chief Executive Officer of Crédit Agricole Assurances
This partnership will enable the large-scale deployment of agricultural insurance solutions across Africa.
Hope Murera, Managing Director & Group CEO, ZEP-RE
Every year, millions of African farmers face major climate shocks. Through this collaboration, we will expand practical solutions that protect their incomes and secure their access to credit.
Ewan Wheeler, Chief Executive Officer of ACRE Africa
About the Grameen Crédit Agricole Foundation
About Crédit Agricole Assurances
Crédit Agricole Assurances, France’s leading insurer, is Crédit Agricole group’s subsidiary, which brings
together all the insurance businesses of Crédit Agricole S.A. Crédit Agricole Assurances offers a range of products and services in savings, retirement, health, personal protection and property insurance. They are distributed by Crédit Agricole’s banks in France and in 9 countries worldwide, and are aimed at individual, professional, agricultural and business customers. At the end of 2025, Crédit Agricole Assurances had more than 7,100 employees. Its 2025 premium income (non-GAAP) amounted to 52.4 billion euros.
About ZEP-RE
ZEP-RE is a leading pan-African reinsurer and specialised institution of COMESA established in 1990 with a mandate to develop the (re)insurance industry, build capacity, mobilize investments and deepen financial inclusion. It has operations in over 45 African countries with headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya and eight country/regional offices spread across Sub-Saharan Africa in Côte d’Ivoire, D.R. Congo, Ethiopia, Sudan, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. ZEP-RE’s subsidiary ACRE Africa focuses on resilience and credit access for small-holder farmers through technology and insurance with 6 offices across Africa. It is the second best rated African reinsurer on the continent by A.M. Best with a credit rating of B++ (Financial Strength)/BBB+ (Issuer Credit).
About ACRE Africa
Press Contacts
AFD
Aïssa Kumagangue: kumaganguea@afd.fr
Linnete Amimo: amimol@afd.fr
Grameen Crédit Agricole Fondation
Tristan Gobit: tristan.gobit@credit-agricole-sa.fr
ZEP-RE (PTA Reinsurance Company)
Richard Ryaganda: rryaganda@zep-re.com
ACRE Africa
Jean Eyase: jeyase@acreafrica.com
