Claude Owona Ekoto to Lead IFC Unit in Central, Anglophone West Africa

Claude Owona Ekoto, a Cameroonian banking executive, has been appointed Regional Director for the International Finance Corporation’s Financial Institutions Group (FIG) for Central Africa and Anglophone West Africa.

Based in Lagos, Nigeria, Owona Ekoto succeeds Dahlia Khalifa. She will oversee IFC partnerships with banks and other financial institutions across the two regions, with a focus on expanding access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises, entrepreneurs and other private-sector businesses.

Before her promotion, Owona Ekoto served as IFC Regional Manager for Financial Institutions in West Africa. She led initiatives supporting SMEs, women entrepreneurs, agricultural value chains and affordable housing.

Transactions completed under her leadership included a risk-sharing facility worth more than CFAF 22.78 billion with Bridge Bank Group. The facility was designed to support women-owned businesses in Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal.

Owona Ekoto has experience in both commercial banking and development finance. Before joining IFC as a Senior Investment Officer, she held senior positions at HSBC and Société Générale, including leadership roles in Cameroon and Burkina Faso. At IFC, she has worked on projects in North America, Europe, Asia and emerging African markets.

Her appointment comes as IFC expands its support for financial institutions in emerging markets through lending, risk-sharing facilities, climate finance initiatives and private-sector investment programs. The institution has identified infrastructure, agriculture, health, digital services and financial inclusion as priority sectors across Africa.

Access to financing remains a major constraint on business growth in Central Africa. Through FIG, IFC works with banks, microfinance institutions, insurers and other financial intermediaries to increase lending to businesses that often struggle to obtain financing.

Its strategy in Central Africa and Anglophone West Africa includes credit lines, portfolio guarantees and risk-sharing mechanisms. These instruments are designed to encourage banks to lend more to businesses while managing regulatory and capital requirements. Recent programs in selected African markets have covered up to 50% of SME loan portfolios.

According to IFC data, its financial institution clients worldwide provided $385 billion in loans to SMEs and $50 billion to microenterprises in 2024. The organization has also committed $18.5 billion from its own balance sheet to climate-related projects through more than 160 financial institutions in emerging markets.

SMEs account for about 90% of businesses and more than 50% of employment worldwide, according to the World Bank. In sub-Saharan Africa, the annual financing gap for formal SMEs is estimated at more than $330 billion. IFC considers greater access to SME financing a key driver of job creation and private sector-led growth in developing economies.

Mercy Fosoh