Nairobi, Kenya
November 1, 2014
Today, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enable the Bank to finance technical assistance to support the work of African seed companies which are supported by AGRA’s Program for Africa’s Seed Systems (PASS). The US $ 1 million technical assistance project will help beneficiary seed companies increase their production of quality seeds for rural farmers. In the new initiative, 54 seed companies, located in 11 countries, will benefit from the assistance in the form of business development services, field visits, secondment of leading seed industry experts, in-service training and technical knowledge sharing. The ultimate goal is to increase food security, and to contribute to the reduction of poverty levels; impacting on millions of rural people. The project countries are: Burkina Faso, Ghana, Liberia, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Uganda.
“Agriculture and private sector development are a major way to achieve the inclusive growth objective of our 2013-2022 Strategy. This project emphasizes the promotion of enterprise development as well as value chain development. Therefore, AGRA’s philosophy of shifting seed supply from Governments and non-governmental organizations to a strong African seed industry is in line with the transformation objective of the Bank’s Strategy for 2013-2022,” Seliatou Kayode-Anglade of the African Development Bank.
“Promoting the development of micro-small and medium-scale enterprises (MSMEs) to thrive creates the platform for developing a strong African private seed sector and a sustainable mechanism to increase the production and availability of quality seeds for rural African farmers, particularly in the project countries. At AGRA, we are pushing for a transformation of African agriculture, based on farming as enterprise. This initiative is greatly aligned to that goal.” Dr Agnes Kalibata, AGRA President
Specifically, the project seeks to do the following:
- Contribute to private sector development by building the capacity of beneficiary sector players in areas such as best business practices, which will also involve learning of practical business management tools and instruments, and also, enrolling to benefit from PASS support of one-time grant, classroom instruction, field visits, and secondment programs.
- Contribute to increase beneficiaries’ volume of production, productivity, sales, and income leading to job creation and value chain development.
- Contribute to the production of quality local seeds, and reduction in food insecurity in rural areas to enable particularly women farmers to increase their revenues as a result of improved crop production and productivity using cheaper and locally-available high quality seeds.
PASS has already demonstrated the capacity and experience across projects and countries to play a lead role in this sector to ensure success of this project. For instance, Before AGRA’s intervention in Mali, there were no seed companies producing and availing seed to farmers. Faso Kaba was the first company AGRA supported and last year it was able to produce 1,008 metric tons of key crops namely maize, rice, sorghum and cow peas which it all sold to farmers through a network of agro-dealers which made it possible for farmers in rural areas to access improved seed. Before AGRA’s intervention in 2007 in that country, there was no private seed company producing and selling seed directly to farmers.
“By developing a thriving African seed industry, PASS will contribute to increase African farmers’ access to locally-developed improved seeds. PASS will indirectly contribute to the increase of revenues of farmers and to the reduction of poverty and food insecurity in African rural areas,” Dr Joseph DeVries, Director for PASS Program, AGRA.
Seed industry leaders with past experience in world-renowned seed companies will be on board as consultants to provide needed services in areas of seed production, processing and storage, seed marketing, seed certification, equipment advice, financial management and strategy. The experts will mentor local consultants who will then be able to provide the same services for the purpose of sustainability. Millions of smallholder farmers and their families are expected to benefit from this intervention to improve their general livelihoods.
About AGRA
AGRA is a dynamic partnership working across the African continent to help millions of small-scale farmers and their families lift themselves out of poverty and hunger. AGRA programs develop practical solutions to significantly boost farm productivity and incomes for the poor while safeguarding the environment. AGRA advocates for policies that support its work across all key aspects of the African agricultural value chain — from seeds, soil health and water to markets and agricultural education. AGRA works across sub-Saharan Africa, and maintains a head office in Nairobi, Kenya and country offices in Ghana, Mali, Mozambique and Tanzania. Learn more at www.agra.org
About African Development Bank
The African Development Bank (AfDB) Group is the premier development finance institution in Africa with a mandate to spur sustainable economic development and social progress in the continent, thereby contributing to poverty reduction. The Bank Group achieves this objective by mobilizing and allocating resources for investment in the continent; and providing policy advice and technical assistance to support development efforts. The African Development Bank's authorized capital of around USD 100 billion is subscribed to by 77 member countries made up of 53 African countries and 24 non-African countries.
www.afdb.org.
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