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- Item2SCALE Faits saillants 2020(2020)2SCALE est un programme qui collabore avec le secteur privé local pour construire des réseaux agro-industriels durables. Il met en relation les petits agriculteurs, les acheteurs, les transformateurs et d’autres partenaires pour améliorer la compétitivité et répondre aux nouvelles opportunités. Le programme fonctionne par le biais de partenariats public-privé, fournissant des formations, des conseils techniques et des liens commerciaux. La publication met en évidence l’impact de la pandémie de COVID-19 sur le programme 2SCALE. En raison des restrictions de voyage, le programme a dû s'adapter et s'appuyer sur la coordination à distance et les approches numériques pour poursuivre ses activités. Malgré les défis, le programme a établi 65 nouveaux partenariats commerciaux en 2020, axés sur les produits de base, les produits frais, les graines oléagineuses et les produits d'origine animale. Le rapport mentionne également les objectifs fixés pour le programme, notamment l'amélioration de l'accès à des aliments nutritifs pour 1 million de consommateurs de la base de la pyramide (BoP), le développement d'entreprises inclusives avec 5 000 micro, petites et moyennes entreprises (MPME), l'amélioration des moyens de subsistance de 750 000 personnes. les petits exploitants agricoles et la mise à l’échelle de plus de 60 partenariats public-privé en Afrique subsaharienne. L'impact de la COVID-19 sur les activités du programme et les défis auxquels sont confrontés les champions du monde des affaires sont discutés. Il mentionne la manière dont les restrictions affectent les interactions commerciales, les chaînes d’approvisionnement et la gouvernance. Le matériel fournit également un exemple spécifique du secteur laitier au Mali, où les agriculteurs et les entreprises ont été confrontés à une demande réduite et à des limitations de transport. Mots-clés Petits exploitants agricoles, partenariats public-privé, COVID-19, agro-industrie
- Item2SCALE Highlights Report 2022(2022)In 2022 the Russia-Ukraine war induced high inflation rates and food costs, leading to a major worldwide food crisis, with Africa being the hardest hit. Political instability and insecurity remained a challenge in Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, and Nigeria. The 2SCALE consortium strengthened their security policies and monitored the security situation in all countries continuously so that staff were not exposed to danger. However, the COVID-19 pandemic had less impact on our work in the field, as team members could travel easily. Due to this world reality, our business champions could not invest in both value chain up and down streams, smallholder farmers and base of pyramid. As program implementors, we had to be adaptive with regards to our PPPs management. In some cases, the inclusive business idea had to be readopted, in other cases the lead business champion was changed. These changes were made through a careful and well documented assessment led by the country teams and the program management team. Additional adoptive measures were taken in response to the post conflict situations in South Sudan. Despite these challenges, the Program implementation was much more intensive than in previous years. As a result, noteworthy results were achieved. Targets set for 2022 were met for all Universal Impact Indicators (UIIs). Even one of the pilot countries, South Sudan, was able to register results in terms of these indicators. Because of the high prices of essential agricultural inputs, such as fertilizer, business champions could not take out significant loans as expected. Despite the difficulties, most of them remained committed to their business ideas. Others sought new partners to invest in their public-private partnerships (PPPs). It is worth noting that the new reality of doing business has also led to a high demand for quality locally processed products. Thanks to the PPPs maturation, the relationship between the business champions and smallholder farmers was enhanced. As a result of this, business champions were able to meet their consumers’ demand due to a consistent supply of good quality raw materials in quantity. Most of our business actors observed an increase in their turnover. This reveals how the 2SCALE approach effectively contributed to strengthening local agribusiness value chains and actors for sustainable food security in Africa. As the program is getting close to meeting all the targets in terms of Universal impact indicators, the team is encouraged to consolidate the impacts and to harvest the stories behind the numbers. The stories will provide insights on the 2SCALE approach’s impact on the agribusiness actors we engage with. The collection of these stories will be a major focus in 2023 and 2024 as an integral part of our internal evaluation and the upcoming Impact Assessment Study of the program. The program developed a rich and diversified portfolios of PPPs in different value chains initiated by Business Champions that have different size. The program considers the PPPs as a means to the end (achieving impacts under the 8 UIIs) and hence having these diversified PPPs will help in achieving the different target as different product groups and different size of business champions offer different opportunities. For Example, we have learned that PPPs in the animal-based product groups contribute significantly (53%) for the target in relation to improving the BoP consumers access to food. While the staples are by far the most important product groups for SHFs empowerment and promoting Eco -Efficient production practices. While the analysis of the result (as at the end of 2022)against the size of the business championed had revealed that PPPs led by large (in size) business champions are more suitable to contribute for BoP target, non-farm employment creation and MSME empowerment. However, PPPs lead by Medium and Small sized Business champions are best suited for empowering SHFs. As an integral part of our activities consolidation and strengthening, 2SCALE seeks synergy with existing initiatives at national, regional and international level. For this purpose country teams were encouraged to engage with stakeholders for the strengthening and sustainability of program activities in the various countries. Collaboration with CARE was intensified, thanks to the country-focused Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) that were signed in Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Ethiopia. A USAID buy in program was secured to strengthen soil fertility related activities within 2SCALE PPPs in Niger. The program also collaborated with institutions such as the African Development Bank (AfDB) to support business champions with access to finance. In 2023 and 2024, we expect to get more results of these partnerships. 2SCALE reached its 10-year anniversary in 2022. This was celebrated with a large event took place in Nairobi, with a focus on the anglophone countries. At the same time, six focus countries organized replication events at the national level. To promote the 2SCALE brand, colleagues attended numerous international conferences and events in Europe and Africa related to inclusive agribusiness. The program also launched and implemented its very first Global Youth Mentorship Program, which helped empower young colleagues. A second cohort will be launched and implemented in 2023. Given the financial constraints, a full team retreat was not possible, but country team reflection days took place with at least one PMT member participating.
- Item2SCALE Highlights 2023(2023)In 2023, the 2SCALE program marked a pivotal year as it completed the full-scale implementation of its second phase and celebrated a decade of fostering inclusive agribusiness in Africa. Notably, the program launched Inclusive Agribusiness Clubs across its operational countries, providing a platform for stakeholders to engage in discussions on sustainable practices and common challenges. A significant two-day pan-African workshop in Abidjan showcased achievements and shared lessons learned, particularly in Francophone regions. By year-end, 2SCALE had met seven out of eight Universal Impact Indicators, benefiting 1.9 million low-income consumers and empowering 1.1 million smallholder farmers. The program's strategic focus on public-private partnerships (PPPs) proved essential in enhancing food and nutrition security, with a leveraged investment of €162.77 million against €62 million allocated by DGIS. Despite challenges such as global supply chain disruptions and inflation, 2SCALE demonstrated resilience through adaptive management, successfully implementing system change activities and strengthening financial inclusion. As the program transitions toward its conclusion, it aims to solidify the impact of its initiatives and empower local actors to sustain growth in inclusive agribusiness practices.
- ItemAnalyzing Power Dynamics and Scaling Potential of the Proposed Ghana Fertilizer Platform(2021) Diene, P.P.; Laamari Abdelali; William Adzawla; Y. Iddrisu; Williams K. AtakoraAchieving food security remains a critical goal for Ghana, prompting the implementation of various interventions such as subsidized fertilizer use to support agricultural productivity. Central to these efforts is the establishment of the Ghana Fertilizer Platform (GFP), catalyzed by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) with support from IFDC's Fertilizer Research and Responsible Implementation (FERARI) program. This study, based on empirical evidence gathered from stakeholder interviews, examines power dynamics and scaling potential within the GFP. Findings reveal that while stakeholders express confidence in technological advancements, awareness, and governance structures, challenges persist in areas such as finance and collaborative efforts. Addressing these issues is pivotal for enhancing the platform's effectiveness and sustainability.
- ItemEnhancing Growth through Regional Agricultural Input Systems (Engrais) Project for West Africa; Tema(2019-08)Although smaller than neighboring ports and focused on Ghana’s foreign trade, the port of Tema has experienced strong growth in recent years and occupies an increasingly large position in the transit of goods to and from Burkina Faso and, to a lesser extent, Mali and Niger. Disadvantaged by the language barrier, the port of Tema has long been neglected by hinterland exporters, importers, and carriers. However, as a result of the Ivorian crisis of 2011-2012, several hundred thousand tons of Burkinabe products and products destined for Burkina Faso have begun to transit through this port recently. Thus, in 2017, Burkina Faso’s fertilizer imports transiting through the port of Tema exceeded those through the port of Abidjan. Moreover, Yara, which previously based its logistics in the port of Abidjan, opened a new fertilizer import terminal and blending plant in the port of Tema in February 2019. Generally, the port of Tema has experienced a rapid growth in port traffic volume over the last decade (on average +5% per year over 10 years), with a strong acceleration over the last five years (+8.5% per year). Over the last five years, the volume of goods transiting through the port has also increased noticeably. Fertilizer imports through the port of Tema are closely linked to fertilizer subsidies of the cocoa and cereal sectors (maize and rice) since the cotton sector is not that important in Ghana. The first strength of the Tema port is its cost. According to our surveys, it is the cheapest port in the sub-region. In addition to the savings on port fees, the port of Tema’s geographical location gives it a comparative advantage over land transport to Ouagadougou and, more generally, to Central and Eastern Burkina Faso. The main weakness of the port of Tema is due to Ghana’s non-participation in the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), which does not allow it to benefit from the stability of the franc CFA; this can lead to additional costs and exchange risks during import transit. The procedures for importing fertilizer via the port of Tema and recommendations are also provided.