Deadline Date: November 14, 2025
The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) has launched an Expression of Interest (EOI) for a private sector partnership to scale a proven digital platform that streamlines financing and operations for agro-dealers in Ethiopia.
The primary objective of this EOI is to engage a private sector entity (a software provider engaged in the agricultural sector or a financial service provider registered in Ethiopia or in one of the countries in East Africa) that will receive a performance-based investment grant to deploy and expand an existing, proven digital platform that streamlines the operations of agro-dealers involved in input distribution to new, unreached areas of Ethiopia. The agro-dealers may include one-stop-shops, private agro-dealers and cooperative unions. The digital platform intended to enhance the efficiency of agro-dealer business models through digital solutions while improving the availability of high-quality agricultural inputs at competitive prices for farmers with integration to credit products.
This EOI is part of the Advancing Inclusive Rural & Agriculture Digital Ecosystems (AIRADE) initiative under the FinWise Ethiopia Project, supported by the Gates Foundation. The initiative seeks to transform agricultural financing and service delivery through digital innovation, leveraging data and insights from agricultural input and financial service flows to strengthen efficiency, accessibility, and inclusivity across the sector. AIRADE aims to empower smallholder farmers by providing better access to agricultural inputs and financing solutions, while attracting greater investment into rural and agricultural markets.
Through this grant, UNCDF intends to engage financial or technology service providers with a proven digital platform that supports agro-dealer operations, enabling efficient input management, supply chain logistics, and sales processes. The expansion will target new rural regions in Ethiopia, ensuring that digital financial services reach previously underserved communities. The selected partner will be responsible for on-the-ground implementation, training agro-dealers in digital financial literacy, and integrating the system with financial institutions to pilot new credit products for working capital.
The total budget for the investment grant is USD 491,000. Disbursements will be performance-based and tied to key milestones such as deployment, platform localization, and integration with financial services. The implementation duration is set at 15 months. UNCDF will maintain oversight, ensuring that funds are used effectively to achieve the desired development impact.
Applications are open to legally registered financial institutions or software providers operating in Ethiopia or one of the East African countries. Applicants must demonstrate at least three years of operations, proven financial capacity, and readiness to scale a digital solution for agro-dealers. Evaluation will be based on legal compliance, financial stability, product readiness, institutional capacity, governance, and sustainability strategy.
This initiative aims to broaden access to finance for smallholder farmers, cooperatives, and agro-dealers, particularly women entrepreneurs, while promoting inclusive and sustainable agricultural growth. By digitizing agro-dealer networks, UNCDF seeks to strengthen market systems, reduce financing risks, and drive long-term rural economic resilience.
For more information, visit UNCDF.
