IFC Partners with Senegalese AgTech Startup Tolbi

DAKAR — The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has announced a strategic investment and advisory partnership with Tolbi, a Dakar-headquartered agtech startup, in collaboration with the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program's Business Investment Financing Track (GAFSP BIFT).

The capital allocation and technical assistance package aim to scale Tolbi's precision agriculture platform, targeting 2 million smallholder farmers and agricultural cooperatives across West Africa by 2030. The transaction, signed in Dakar with IFC Managing Director Makhtar Diop, builds on earlier venture funding from climate-tech investor Catalyst Fund, which co-invested alongside the IFC.

Operational Footprint & Technology Architecture

Founded by CEO Mouhamadou Lamine Kébé, Tolbi combines artificial intelligence, satellite remote sensing, and field data collection to digitize agricultural value chains:

• TOLBI OS Platform: Integrates satellite imagery and field-agent analytics to provide real-time crop monitoring,yield forecasting, traceability, EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) compliance, and digital measurement,reporting, and verification (MRV) for carbon credits.
• Credit & Market Risk Infrastructure: Addresses credit access bottlenecks in Senegal's rural economy by providing risk-assessment data to banks, insurers, and buyers, enabling financial institutions to extend credit and input financing to smallholders.
• Regional Market Operations: Operates across Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Benin, Republic of the Congo, and Tanzania, partnering with over 37 agricultural cooperatives and managing data for more than 19,000 farmers.

Expansion Roadmap & Advisory Scope

The deal supports the World Bank Group's broader AgriConnect initiatives to mobilize private capital across sub-Saharan Africa's agricultural sector:

• Advisory Support: IFC will deliver dedicated advisory services to expand Tolbi's field-agent network and deepen integration with cooperatives, commercial agribusinesses, and financial institutions.
• Value Chain Integration: Establishes coordinated digital pipelines linking smallholder farmers directly to agricultural inputs, agronomic advice, technical assistance, and off-take buyers.

Executive Commentary

"Since day one, our goal has been to use technology to improve the lives of farmers in Africa, helping them achieve better yields and better incomes. Using artificial intelligence and satellite imagery to expand their access to financing and markets, IFC's investment will bring our platform to many more farmers across the continent."
— Mouhamadou Lamine Kébé, CEO of Tolbi

"Better access to finance and agricultural data can help smallholder farmers boost productivity, reach new markets, and increase incomes. By supporting innovators like Tolbi, IFC is connecting farmers with banks and buyers, unlocking private investment and creating jobs in Senegal’s agricultural sector."
— Makhtar Diop, Managing Director at IFC

Transaction Advisory

• Lead Investors: International Finance Corporation (IFC), GAFSP Business Investment Financing Track (BIFT).
• Existing Investor: Catalyst Fund.
• Target Company: Tolbi.

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