For many small business owners, having a business with growth potential isn’t enough. Access to financing can be crucial for increasing inventory, better meeting customer demand, and transforming a subsistence activity into a more stable source of income.
It is in this context that Gapi’s intervention has made a difference in the lives of small business owners and merchants, through the financing of economic activities and support for the growth of their businesses.
One example is Luís Da Costa Luis, 53 years old, originally from Inhassunge, Zambézia province, who conducts his business at the Aquima Market, in the Coalane neighborhood, Quelimane city.
In 2025, Luís benefited from a loan of 200,000 meticais, a resource that allowed him to strengthen the capacity of his business selling food products, hygiene items, and beverages.
Before obtaining the financing, one of the limitations Luís faced was his ability to maintain a sufficiently diverse stock to meet his customers’ needs. With the credit made available, he was able to increase the volume and variety of products he sold.
The result was a business with greater market responsiveness, more customers, and increased sales. The growth in commercial activity was also reflected in the disposable income for supporting his family.
“This loan allowed me to grow my business. Today I have more products to sell, more customers, and I can better contribute to supporting my family,” said Luís Da Costa Luis.
Luís’ experience illustrates the role that inclusive financing can play in boosting small businesses. By providing financial resources to entrepreneurs who need capital to invest and grow, Gapi helps local economic activities gain greater capacity for production, marketing, and income generation.
More than just providing credit, stories like Luís’s demonstrate the importance of bringing financial solutions closer to the people who make the local economy happen. At the Aquima Market, financing has become a tool for a merchant to expand his stock, gain new customers, and strengthen his ability to support his family.
For Gapi, this is what promoting impact financing means: transforming access to capital into concrete opportunities for growth, income, and improved living conditions.
Luís’s story continues to be built daily, amidst clients, products, and new challenges. With a business strengthened by funding, he remains focused on growth and seizing the opportunities the market offers.
When funding reaches those who want to grow, credit ceases to be just money: it becomes capital to transform opportunities into results.
Photo: Gapi
Source: Gapi / Press Release
