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Sahel Capital, a private investment firm focused on food and agriculture businesses across sub-Saharan Africa, has closed a $650k loan facility for Noma Service Consolidated Limited, a Nigerian agribusiness that aggregates and processes staple commodities. The financing was extended through Sahel Capital’s Social Enterprise Fund for Agriculture in Africa (SEFAA), the firm said in a press release.
The facility is split between $400k in working capital and $250k in capital expenditure financing, according to the release. Sahel Capital said the deal is in keeping with SEFAA’s mandate to back socially responsible agribusinesses that expand economic opportunity for rural communities while pursuing measurable social and environmental impact.
Noma says the capex portion of the facility is earmarked for equipment that will help the company scale its aggregation operations, while the working capital tranche is intended to support day-to-day sourcing from the company’s farmer network.
“This facility from SEFAA is a pivotal milestone for us. It gives us the working capital and equipment we need to significantly deepen our aggregation capacity and deliver greater impact to the smallholder farmers in our network. We are delighted to partner with Sahel Capital, whose deep understanding of the African agribusiness landscape makes them an ideal long-term partner,” said Daniel Enesi Asido, Managing Director of Noma Services Consolidated Limited.
Noma Services Consolidated Limited was incorporated in 2021, though its operations trace back to 2018. The Abuja-headquartered company specialises in aggregating and processing rice, maize, sorghum and beans, sourcing from a network of more than 11,000 smallholder farmers and supplying the produce to major fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies.
It runs central aggregation hubs in Mabushi, Niger, and Kaduna, along with regional hubs in Kano and Jigawa, and supports its farmer network with irrigation facilities and tractors aimed at improving farming efficiency.
Noma’s transition from an input-financing model toward a more scalable, direct-aggregation approach played a key role in the funding. “Noma is playing a critical role in Nigeria’s agricultural value chain by connecting over 11,000 smallholder farmers to reliable and well-structured markets,” said Deji Adebusoye, Partner at Sahel Capital.
He added, “Their transition from an input-financing model to a more scalable direct aggregation approach reflects both strategic clarity and operational maturity. We are proud to support this next chapter of Noma’s growth.”
Sahel Capital currently manages two funds: the Fund for Agricultural Finance in Nigeria (FAFIN), which backs SME agribusinesses in Nigeria, and SEFAA, which provides primarily structured debt to agribusiness SMEs across 13 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The firm is also raising a successor vehicle, Sahel Capital Agribusiness Fund II, which will target investment opportunities across West Africa.
Sahel Capital said the investment reinforces SEFAA’s broader commitment to supporting high-impact, scalable agribusinesses across the continent, and reflects the firm’s wider objective of strengthening Africa’s food systems, raising rural incomes and improving food security.
