Proparco is a development finance institution partly owned by the French Development Agency (AFD) and private shareholders from the developed countries.
PROPARCO promotes private investment in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East to reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). PROPARCO finances operations which are economically viable, financially profitable, environmentally sustainable and socially equitable.[1], its shareholders' capital exceeded €693 million (US$773 million).[2]
Since 2019, Proparco has participated in the Choose Africa initiative launched jointly with AFD to accelerate the growth of African SMEs, which consists of making available 2.5 billion euros over four years: 1.5 billion in bank loans and guarantees and 1 billion in equity investments in SMEs (direct investments or through private equity funds).[3] In 2020, to play its part in the response to the COVID-19 crisis, Proparco is adding €1 billion under the Choose Africa Resilience plan.[4]