Your Impact Report Spring 2026
By 2035, nearly 500 million young Africans are expected to reach working age , reflecting the continent’s surging youth population. Yet job creation is not keeping pace: sub -Saharan Africa currently generates only about 3 million formal jobs each year for the more than 12 million young people entering the workforce , underscoring a widening employment gap.
- World Bank/International Development Association; African Development Bank
What are we doing about it? Opportunity International in Africa
At a time when the world is stepping back, Opportunity International is leaning in. We remain committed because the families we serve cannot step back. In Martin Luther King Jr.’s memorable words, this is what it looks like to build the road to Jericho: fa milies giving their all, and us standing with them committed, persevering, ambitious, and willing to give them a hand up. The work ahead has never been more important.
Opportunity’s Agriculture Finance team s erve s people in eight countries across Africa :
• Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
• Ghana
• Kenya *
• Malawi
• Mozambique*
• Nigeria
• Rwanda
• Uganda
*In Kenya, we are building a network of Farmer Support Agent and in Mozambique, we have one financial institution partner and are exploring next steps. In any of the countries served by Opportunity, reach can expand with additional funding.
2025 Opportunity International Agriculture Finance
In each of these countries, we serve the hardest -to-reach people living at the “last mile .” Our in -country staff, led by experienced industry experts in agriculture finance, meet clients where they are. Opportunity International’s proven three -pronged model training, access to financial resources, and support creates transformational changes in families that impacts entire communities. Below are a few highlights from recent work.
⊲ DRC : Opportunity International’s Agriculture Finance team in the DRC continues strengthening Farmer Support Agent (FSA) systems, advancing regenerative agriculture adoption, and expanding digital financial inclusion through the DreamSave platform. In the last s ix months, we’ve witnessed significant growth in demonstration plots and savings groups digitization. To tackle the obstacle of connectivity, we are piloting digital “hubs” that would stabilize access to financial and training data critical to both the FSA s and their clients.
⊲ Ghana: In Opportunity's Agriculture Finance program, we reach farmers in Ghana outside the formal financial system, teaching them both good agricultural practices and financial literacy. Through savings groups, we help link farmers to financial institutions; last year in Ghana, we supported 4,807 ag savings groups with 116,053 members. In FY25, we helped release over 63,000 ag loans valued at $26 million. We have 769 active Farmer Support Agents supporting 125,717 farmers.
⊲ Malawi: Our most recent cohort of 120 households in the Rural Graduation program in Lilongwe, Malawi graduated in February 2026. Most participants have learned how to manage livestock as a primary source of income, bolstered by a secondary livelihood activity like growing and selling vegetables. In addition to financial literacy and resources 100% partici pate in savings groups coaches work with families to improve access to healthy water and sanitation practices; 100% of households now have working latrines and wash stations.
⊲ Nigeria : With over 40% of Nigeria’s 200 million people under the age of 15, youth education, training, and skills building in entrepreneurship are critical. Our 70 Farmer Support Agents support over 10,000 individual farmers with training, access to financial resources, and support. Opportunity’s microfinance institution (MFI) measurement and evaluation partner, 60 Decibels, reveals a high satisfaction rate from Opportunity clients, with 90% of clients reporting increased business income and 92% of clients reporting improved quality of life. Standard Microfinance Bank in Nigeria ranked among the top three global MFIs, recognized for achieving outstanding client outcomes in accessibility of financing, repayment affordability and client protection, and household impact s on health and education.
⊲ Rwanda : We are digitizing farmer groups and strengthening agricultural value chains in Rwanda, starting with client journey mapping, focus groups, and digital readiness assessments that will give insights into the unique digital financial status and needs of both smallholder farmers and financial institution partners. We then will digitize farmer group financial records to improve efficiency and transparency in group transactions, as well as to provide a record of individual farmers ’ financial histories. Linking farmers’ financial records to financial partners will significantly de -risk lending and improve farmers’ access to agricultural credit. In addition, Opportunity will continue to expand its Farmer Support Agent (FSA) footprint in Rwanda to digitally profile and register farmers, provide digital agricultural training, educate farmers on digital financial literacy, and promote access to finance mobile -agent banking networks.
⊲ Uganda : In August 2025, we hosted an Agriculture Finance summit in Uganda. Over three days, our AgFinance team convened 26 leading financial institutions, policymakers, and community leaders to explore how financing farmers can strengthen weather resilience, unlock opportunities for women and refugees, expand access to education, and build healthier, more sust ainable communities, by:
• Scaling weather -related finance and regenerative agriculture for resilience
• Expanding inclusion for women farmers
• Embedding and expanding microinsurance to safeguard f inancial stability
Learning and Leading
In Malawi, Rwanda, and Uganda, we t ackled three specific objectives: improve the delivery of regenerative agriculture finance options; strengthen Farmer Support Agents (FSAs) training; and digitize resources. The partnership resulted in:
• 462 FSAs trained and deployed
• Four new climate financing products
• 52,502 farming households trained
• 57% increase in yield
• 52,503 hectares of land shifted to RegenAg
• 454,000 agroforestry trees planted
Increasing Access to Ag Best Practices
FarmerAI is a WhatsApp -based virtual assistant that provides direct access to farming advice using official, local sources. First piloted in Malawi, we’re improving and rolling out FarmerAI in local languages with country -specific information on crops, inp uts, and best agricultural practices for Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, and Uganda. The two most common use cases are helping farmers improve the inputs for planting and fertilizing, and rapid identification and treatment of pest and disease outbreaks to mi nimize losses.
Savings Groups
One of Opportunity’s differentiators is our long -term focus on linking savings groups to formal banking Digitization of savings groups strengthens the possibility of that linkage, as it tracks group data in an accurate, efficient way. We reach farmers outside the formal financial system through existing savings groups, helping them access both good agricultural practices and financial services. Through annual farmer surveys in Malawi, Rwanda, and Uganda, the team found positive results achieved by farmers who are members of savings groups:
• 73% increased their income
• 74% can meet an emergency expense, showing financial stability
• 85% improved the number and/or quality of meals for the family
• 88% improved their quality of life
Opportunity for Impact
Opportunity International puts donors’ funds to work immediately; the more funds we secure, the more people we reach, the more transformational impact is possible . In partnership with generous do nors, we will raise $4 million by September 30, 202 6, to provide the tools, resources, and support for smallholder families . Every $25 enables one fa rmer to grow her harvests and her income to provide for her family.
Thank you for your interest in and support of our Opportunity families. Every opportunity counts —including the opportunity you have to make a difference in the world with your thoughtful partnership. Because of supporters like you , families move out of deep poverty to sustainable livelihoods.