The Africa Finance & Investment Forum (AFIF)

17 – 19 June 2012. Rabobank Headquarters – Utrecht, Netherlands. The Africa Finance & Investment Forum (AFIF) 2012, was held in the framework of the UN’s "International Year of Cooperatives”, and organised in partnership with Rabobank Foundation, the Dutch international finance service provider operating on the basis of cooperative principles.

The Africa Finance & Investment Forum is one of EMRC’s showcase events, aimed at strengthening the private sector in Africa, by encouraging partnerships andattracting investments. The Forum is designed for entrepreneurs interested in securing finance for their projects, for private investors looking for projects, as well as for policy makers, financiers and bankers.

AFIF  featured over 250 decision makers from around the world; African Companies and financing institutions; International and bi-lateral organisations; NGOs and foundations working in Africa. The Rabobank Foundation, Centenary Bank, Global Development Cooperative, the World Bank, GIZ (German International Cooperation Organisation), FARA and the Shell Foundation are just a few of the organisations that attended the AFIF this year. Prof Monty Jones of FARA made a presentation on "Strategic partnerships to enhance investments in Africa’s Agricultural Productivity and Competitiveness" during the Session on:  Innovative solutions to address the financial needs of SMEs & Cooperatives.

Related: EMRC Project Incubator Award Session

CESACOPA is the winner of 2012 Incubator Award. CESACOPA is a coffee cooperative located in Amboim province, Angola. The main objective of the CESACOPA project is to increase coffee quality standards for export while at the same time making a clear contribution  to the community e.g., employment generation and pollution abatement. The coffee is produced without use of chemicals or pesticides and the fertilizer used is organic. It is also noted that the project impacts some 6000 families as direct beneficiaries. 
This year’s 2012 Incubator Award was sponsored by Hivos, a leading Dutch organisation and Venture Capital for Africa (VC4A), a global platform connecting entrepreneurs and investors throughout Africa. With two leading organisations associated to this year’s award, the winner and nominees will receive increased international recognition and the opportunity to expand their global contacts. This prestigious award will be presided by a panel of international experts and the winner will receive a cash prize of US$15,000.
The project promoter Anastácio Roque Gonçalves explained, "This project aims to obtain a coffee grader machine and installing a small coffee laboratory to help the export chain and create the proper environment for fair trade and coffee certification". 

Attract and promote private investment in agriculture

19 - 20 March 2012. Kigali. Second meeting of the Grow Africa “First Wave” Initiative. The meeting brought together high ranking officials from the Agriculture Ministries of the seven participating countries. Included in this group were three Agriculture Ministers from Burkina Faso, Tanzania and Kenya. Diplomatic representatives from the G8 Countries in Kigali, Development Partners and representatives from the AU, NEPAD and World Economic Forum were also in attendance.

The purpose of the meeting was to encourage the World Economic Forum and G8 Summit to support “First Wave” countries as they prepare their investment blueprints. The meeting also served as preparation for the upcoming Grow Africa Forum meeting in Addis Ababa on 8-9 May 2012 and for an initiative at the G8 Summit on 18-19 May which will focus on food security and agricultural investment.

Background:
Initiated at the 2011 World Economic Forum (WEF) on Africa, and convened jointly by WEF, the African Union Commission and the NEPAD Agency, the Grow Africa Forum has included seven countries as part of its ‘first wave’. Rwanda was invited by the WEF and the AU to participate in the Grow Africa Forum, a multi-country platform to attract and promote private investment in agriculture. The first meeting of the Grow Africa Forum was held in Dar Es Salaam from 7-8 November 2011 and included representatives from “First Wave” countries, alongside private investors and major donors. The “First Wave” countries include Burkina Faso, Tanzania, Mozambique, Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia and Rwanda.

Related:

22 March 2012. Ireland's Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Eamon Gilmore (left) said that the Irish agri-food industry has a key role to play in developing the farming sector in African countries. Speaking at the launch of the €2 million “Africa Agri-food development fund”, Mr Gilmore said the partnership between the department of foreign affairs and the department of agriculture is a new way of working on aid. “Irish companies are well placed to play a role in meeting Africa’s increasing food needs. Our agri-food industries have the skills and the vision to both trade and invest in Africa,” he said. Mr Gilmore said the collaboration builds on work begun by the government’s Africa Strategy, and would expand on the role already being played by Ireland in countries like Mozambique. “It is in the context of the Africa Strategy, and it is the start of an initiative which will advance our aid programme and open up opportunities for trade and investment in Africa by the agri-food sector,” he said. Also at the launch, Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney (right) said the partnership will allow Irish firms to use experience gained in the shift from subsistence farming to an export industry in collaboration with African partners.

Growth and Productivity in Agriculture and Agribusiness: Evaluative Lessons from World Bank Group Experience

Enhanced agricultural growth and productivity are essential if we are to meet the worldwide demand for food and reduce poverty, particularly in the poorest developing countries. Between 1998 and 2008, the period covered by this evaluation, the World Bank Group provided $23.7 billion in financing for agriculture and agribusiness in 108 countries (roughly 8 percent of total World Bank Group financing), spanning areas from irrigation and marketing to research and extension. This was, however, a time of declining focus on agricultural growth and productivity by both countries and donors.

The cost of inadequate attention to agriculture, especially in agriculture-based economies, came into focus with the food crisis of 2007–08. The crisis added momentum to an emerging renewal of attention and stepped-up financing to agriculture and agribusiness at the World Bank and International Finance Corporation (IFC), as well as at several multilateral and bilateral agencies. World Bank financing rose two and a half times from 2008 to 2009, although this increased lending seems to have been accompanied by a decline in analytical work, which this review finds valuable in achieving results. This evaluation seeks to provide lessons from successes and failures in the Bank Group’s activities in the sector to help improve the development impact of the renewed attention. More > 

Global Community of Practice on Agribusiness

infoDev's Global Community of Practice (CoP) on Agribusiness was formally launched in cooperation with ICRISAT at a kick-off meeting during October 26-28, 2010, in Hyderabad, India and culminated in a Declaration of Cooperation around four key action areas.

According to the World Bank, the potential of agricultural growth to reduce poverty is four times greater than the potential of growth from other sectors. The overall focus of infoDev’s Agribusiness Program, in cooperation with the Government of Finland, is to enable innovative agribusiness entrepreneurs in the food industry that 1) provide inputs to primary producers in the form of goods and services and 2) add value to primary products (such as agro-processors) and play a catalytic role in terms of enhancing efficiency, quality and market access across the value chain.

The Agribusiness Community of Practice includes 136 individual members in 64 incubators in 40 countries.

Emerging market SMEs in the information and communication technologies (ICT) and agribusiness sectors

May 30 to June 3, 2011. infoDev’s 4th Global Forum on Innovation and Technology Entrepreneurship was held in Helsinki, Finland. The event was carried out within the framework of a joint program with the Government of Finland and Nokia on Creating Sustainable Businesses for the Knowledge Economy. 

This €12.9 million program, running from 2010-2012, focuses on enhancing the competitiveness of emerging market SMEs in the information and communication technologies (ICT) and agribusiness sectors in particular. The program will also employ the use of the mobile communications platform to grow content, services and applications for developing countries.

The Global Forum focused on the Mobile Applications, Agri-business and Clean Technologies. The Global Forum attracted hundreds of attendees, business incubator managers, policy-makers, SMEs, financiers and development agencies from all continents for a unique South-South and North-South networking and knowledge-sharing experience.
May 31. The World Bank’s Agriculture and Rural Development department and infoDev teamed up to launch two sourcebooks on agriculture innovation and ICT in agriculture at infoDev’s 4th Global Forum on Innovation and Technology Entrepreneurship .

BACKGROUND
The program is creating two sourcebooks: one on ICT for Agriculture and another on Agricultural Innovation Systems, in collaboration with a wide range of authors and agencies.

Both products are intended to offer agriculture and other development practitioners a set of tested solutions, good practices, and methodologies, along with promising applications, that enable them to leverage ICT and harness innovation for more effective agricultural and rural development outcomes. The sourcebooks bring together thematic notes and over 200 case studies from all over the world into a single easy-to-use compilation for those working in the agricultural sector.


FORTHCOMING WEB PLATFORM
The ICT for Agriculture e-Sourcebook is being designed as an electronic publication to maximize its outreach, with the intent of maintaining it as a “living” updatable document through the web. The website domain: www.ICTinagriculture.org, which is currently under construction, will include the full sourcebook text, as well as updates on projects, new tools and applications, user interface, and research focused on the impact of ICT. This e-strategy will improve global access to the sourcebook and foster a community of practice both inside and outside the World Bank. The website and sourcebook have an expected release date in autumn 2011. For more information on the ICT for Agriculture e-Sourcebook: Brief (PDF)

The SME Fair highlighted the products of the top 50 SME’s out of over 700 which had entered the competition for space at Helsinki. Entrants came from all over the developing world with Africa being represented by M-Farm, livestock vaccines, and Avnon Consulting, which is a South African start-up which has developed soft ware for tracking the activities and performance of incubators and incubates.

Related: the African Incubator Network.  The growing Africa Incubator Network includes groups that have recently planned and opened incubators with infoDev support, existing organizations that have added or expanded incubation facilities, and a regional network support organization that is facilitating the further expansion and strengthening of the Network.

Successes in African agriculture: Rwandan agricultural innovator on CNN

June 1, 2011. A maverick entrepreneur and self-made millionaire, Sina Gerard is probably Rwanda's most famous businessman. Having established a business empire from the bottom up, he's now training local farmers to help make Rwanda an agricultural exporter. Twenty-five years ago he had just one employee, who helped him sell the bread he baked at his parents' farm. Now, Gerard says he employs hundreds of workers and buys produce from thousands of farmers.

Although he started out selling his food from a roadside stall, he was soon known not for his snacks, but what he put on them -- his famous "Akabanga" chili sauce. He now produces his chili sauce in industrial quantities. Akabanga is so strong that workers making it are required to wear a face mask. It has become popular in Rwanda and is shipped across the world for customers wanting the ultimate spicy kick.

Watch the video on CNN: Millionaire who built business empire on chili sauce

Entrepreneur in an unusual business

Leveraging Private Sector Investment in Developing Country Agrifood Systems

Title: Leveraging Private Sector Investment in Developing Country Agrifood Systems
Authors: International Food & Agricultural Trade Policy Council (IPC Study commissioned by the Global Agricultural Development Initiative)

The research for this paper (May 2011, 73 pages) involved a myriad of discussions on Transnational Corporations’ involvement in the food and agricultural sectors of developing countries.

This policy paper consists of four sections.

1. The first reiterates the benefits of sound private-sector investment in sustainable food security; it also explains the paper’s primary focus on investments from transnational corporations (TNCs) and describes how TNCs approach decisions on investment allocations.
2. The second section highlights examples of TNC investments that have simultaneously benefited smallholders in developing countries while creating profits—or the potential for profits—for the investors.
3. The third section explores how the US government engages with TNCs and incentivizes investments. 
4. The final section concludes with recommendations for TNCs, governments, and other players, with a view towards increasing TNC investments that both strengthen agricultural development and offer profits to TNCs.

Mid-term review (MTR) of the Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund

07/05/2011. An independent mid-term review (MTR) of the Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF) has found that the Fund is well on its way to making a difference to millions of Africa’s rural poor, according to an AECF press release.

The AECF is a US$ 100 million challenge fund that provides investment support to the private sector for their new and innovative business ideas in agribusiness, rural financial services and renewable energy/adaptation to climate change that will benefit Africa’s small farmers and rural households. It is hosted by the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), based in Nairobi, Kenya, and is supported by the governments of Australia, Denmark, Netherlands and the UK as well as the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). The Fund Manager (FM) is KPMG Africa Development Advisory Services and partners.

The MTR follows a series of in-depth reviews of various aspects of the AECF. Its main purpose was to ascertain whether the AECF is on track to meet its objectives and to suggest improvements to existing governance and management processes. This MTR took place after three years of the Fund’s operation. Another review of the AECF is planned for 2014.

• The review found that the AECF has already achieved impressive results in the first three years.
• The Fund Manager has developed effective systems for attracting and selecting the best business ideas and is currently managing an exciting and diverse portfolio of 48 projects in 16 African countries.
• The programme is underpinned by an effective investment committee, consisting of five highly-experienced independent experts. The existing portfolio has the potential to deliver significant development impact and increased food security for millions of rural poor in Africa.
• The review team also made a number of recommendations aimed at strengthening AECF’s effectiveness as a development challenge fund, including increased integration within existing structures of AGRA.

Upon release of the findings of the MTR report, André Dellevoet, Executive Manager of the AECF, said: “I am very proud of the team at AGRA and KPMG Africa DAS and their partners for the wonderful work they have done. I am confident that we will continue to achieve impressive results as the AECF continues to grow and reach an increasing number of Africans”.


48 projects in 16 African countries...

Agrobiotec - Burundi The project’s purpose is “the rapid multiplication of banana clean planting material” using tissue culture technology for improved banana production in the 3 countries of Central Africa (Burundi, Rwanda and DRC-Congo). Read more...

Brarudi SA - Burundi The goal of this project is to improve the livelihoods of sorghum producers in Burundi by assisting the local Brewery, Brarudi, to develop a local sorghum supply chain to supply its brewery with raw material for a new product 100% sorghum beer. Read more...

Guinness - Cameroon The purpose of this project is to increase the income of smallholder farmers in North Cameroon through increased sorghum yields and sale to GCSA. This will be achieved through a programme to train farmers in improved production practices; development of the supply chain for improved production inputs (seed and fertilizer); increasing the management capacity of local producer groups and other value chain improvements.

Read more... Gourmet Gardens Ltd - DRC The project will develop a thriving and profitable cocoa and vanilla business that will sustainably increase rural household incomes of 1,500 families in North Kivu area of DRC through quality improvements, better standards, certification and new marketing channels. Read more... Yara International SA - Ghana The Ghana Grains Partnership is developing a programme of coordinated private-public activities with the aim of significantly scaling up current national initiatives initially along the maize value chain and, in so doing, to make a significant and lasting impact on rural livelihoods. The intention of the Partnership being to build markets / small farmer capacity to produce maize so as to: address key food security issues in the country; expand domestic production; improve competitiveness, and sell more fertiliser. Read more... Lachlan Ltd - Kenya The project aims to develop, test, register and sell natural Terpene based products to control insect pests in an environmentally safe way on smallholder farms in 8 countries in Eastern Africa (starting with Kenya). Read more... Dominion Farms Ltd - Kenya Dominion Farms is developing a large scale commercial tilapia business in Western Kenya that will benefit the company, employees, smallholder farmers and consumers Read more... Virtual City Ltd - Kenya The Dairy Supply Chain Automation Project aims to address systemic issues along the dairy value chain by contributing to reliable, accurate information systems that will improve milk production; increase milk delivery to processors; improve information flow to farmers and increase farmer incomes. Read more... InfraCo Ltd - Kenya The purpose of the project is to create a private sector run wholesale market for the Kenyan Fresh Fruit and Vegetable sector, serving the domestic market and the East Africa region. Read more... The Real IPM Company (k) Ltd - Kenya The objective of the project is for Real IPM to commercialize a bioherbicide (the Foxy 2 isolate of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. strigae) for Striga control in maize, millet and sorghum. Read more... Western Seed Company - Kenya This project aims to bring improved maize seed varieties to the smallholder farmer thereby increasing productivity and rural farmer incomes. Using a “Direct Access System” that employs the use of “Farmer Agents”, (these are selected farmers, entrepreneurs and respected community persons), and cellphone payment and information systems as an innovative way to increase seed access, disseminate information, increase seed adoption and distribution. Read more... Biologics Limited - Kenya This project aims to provide cost-effective baculovirus-based bio-insecticides, first and foremost to smallholders. These viruses, used worldwide, are currently not available in East Africa. The viruses provide an effective and safe way to control diamondback moth and other pests on various smallholder crops. The project will register and produce these viruses for sale - in Kenya initially. Read more... Rift Valley Products Ltd. - Kenya This project aims to revive the cotton industry in the Kerio Valley and then in Kenya more widely. 8,000 smallholder farmers will be contracted to grow cotton in an area where cotton growing has declined over many years. New extension and other systems will be used to re-vitalize the cotton industry. Read more... Illovo Sugar Company - Malawi The primary functions of NBLP will be to act as a transparent and fair mechanism to raise and manage income and technical assistance for rural community and economic development initiatives in the surrounding district of Chikwawa. The predominant initial focus of NBLP will be to establish a 300 hectare irrigated sugar cane farm to supply cane to the Illovo factory at Nchalo Read more... AGF Afrique - Mali The project will build an insurance based risk management tool for farmers in Mali and Burkina Faso to reduce the risk of having their crops destroyed by natural disasters (drought, flood, insect and bird invasions) Read more... Money Box Africa - Nigeria The project aims to provide financial services to currently unbanked people in Nigeria using mobile phones, scratch cards/ePINS Read more... Dutch Agricultural Development & Trading Co. B.V - Nigeria The project aims to introduce a new and innovative cassava processing system to the doorstep of 40,000 small-farmer households (12,000 by end of Year 3) at village level in Nigeria Read more... Olam - Nigeria The project aims to develop an integrated rice farming and processing model to enhance local rice production that can compete successfully with imported rice Read more... Monitise Plc Monitise - Nigeria The project aims to provide mobile banking and payment services to enable the rural poor, and others, to gain access to secure and reliable financial services without the necessity of having a physical banking infrastructure. The project is designed to enable mobile banking customers to save money, make payments, transfer funds and deposit and withdraw cash through a wide choice of mobile networks, banks and mobile handsets. Read more... Bennimix Food Company - Sierra Leone The project aims to improve incomes for legume producers in Sierra Leone by linking them to Bennimix Supply Chain (whose production capacity is set to increase from 60 to 800 MT in 3 years) Read more... Splash Mobile Money - Sierra Leone The project will extend simple, transactional banking services (by mobile/ cellphone banking) to the unbanked in Sierra Leone, facilitating instant, secure and cheap payments over long distances Read more... Biolands International Ltd - Sierra Leone The project aims to improve the quality and quantity of cocoa (including introducing organic and social/fair trade certification where possible) produced by smallholder farmers. It will also improve the marketing of the cocoa. The project will lead to an increase in the average farmer incomes from cocoa and provide a model for smallholder cash crop production in Sierra Leone. Read more... Afrivet Business Management - South Africa This project is establishing an animal health skills development program for emerging stock farmers, owners and workers in South Africa. The project aims to develop and accredit the training modules, establish the service delivery capacity required, implement the program nationally; and establish stock remedy distribution networks. Read more... SABMiller Plc - Sudan The purpose of the project is to introduce an innovative local sourcing model for cassava that will bring significant long-term market opportunities for small farmers in Southern Sudan while providing a reliable supply of cassava at the right quality and cost to allow SABMiller to use cassava in beer production for the first time. Read more... Rungwe Avocado Company Ltd - Tanzania The project’s purpose is the establishment and growth of a commercial avocado growing, packing, processing and exporting business in Southern Tanzania benefitting the company and smallholder farmers. Read more... Quality Food Products Ltd - Tanzania The purpose of the project is to increase production of safflower seed and food crops by small holder farmers in remote areas of Tanzania through the introduction of innovative conservation tillage (zero-tillage) technologies. Read more... Tanga Fresh Ltd - Tanzania The project aims to increase the production, collection and supply of milk from smallholder dairy farmers to Tanga Fresh Limited, thereby increasing farmer incomes and livelihoods Read more... Export Trading Company - Tanzania The project aims to add value to the pigeon pea sector through the introduction of a processing plant combined with further promotion of improved cultivars and crop husbandry. Growers, traders and exporters will be able to strengthen their (international) market position and enhance their profit margins. Read more... Paperhole Investments (Pvt) Ltd - Zimbabwe The aim of this project is to create a network of rural resource centres which are capable of offering a platform from where a wide range of essential services can be offered, by a number of providers, to the small scale farmer, rural business persons and rural inhabitants. Read more... Makera Cattle Company - Zimbabwe This project will see Makera Cattle Company’s large herd of pedigree Tuli and Simmenthal bulls loaned to rural herds with the aim of breeding out inferior genes and increasing the quality and quantity of the rural herds. The steers that result from the breeding project will be bought by Makera at fair market value to be fattened for sale to abattoirs. Heifers will remain with the rural owners. Read more... Kettex (Pvt) Ltd - Zimbabwe Kettex aims to create a sustainable commercial operation, called Feya Feya, that will supply rural stores with agricultural inputs and other supplies at competitive retail prices Read more... Sondelani Ranching Zimbabwe The aim of the project is to establish a new Tomato Processing plant. This will also involve building a reliable supply chain to ensure that the processing plant is assured of adequate inputs. Sondelani will set up processing facilities at its premises in Bulawayo, focusing on the more highly refined Concentrated Pastes and Dried Tomato Powder. Read more... Northern Farming - Zimbabwe Northern Farming aims to secure and support a large growers base of small scale and commercial farmers to grow food crops  and seed crops  and sell this produce on the domestic market. Read more... CABS - Zimbabwe The aim of the project is to provide a cell phone banking package that includes wide functionality that includes deposits and cash withdrawal, balance enquiries, transfers, unbanked payments, receipt of remittances from the Diaspora and other pre-paid initiatives such as bill payment and market information. Read more... Kencor Management Services (Pvt) Ltd - Zimbabwe The project aims to establish a Small Scale Grower seed contract production scheme coupled with localised seed cleaning and conditioning through the use of mobile seed cleaning units. The scheme will produce high quality seed that will be accessible and affordable to local communities and people in the general locality, in a timely and affordable manner. Read more... Coopers (1992) (Pvt) Ltd - Zimbabwe The project aims target the rural poor communities with the objective of equipping these rural families with animal management skills and thereby enabling them to generate further wealth from their asset. Read more... Produtrade Pvt Ltd - Zimbabwe The project aims to establish a network of Trading Posts in Zimbabwe; each one a convenient, one-stop-shop for the rural community, where people can sell their commodities and buy their farming inputs and household goods. They will also form the points from which an outgrowing and a financial services scheme will be launched that will develop the area and empower the target market. Read more...