“We are here to help each other, but especially to help dairy women in this male-dominated industry,” Joy Jillian Joseph, Managing Director, African Joy, Tanzania
Joy Jillian Joseph displays an African Joy dairy product at the company’s production facility. In Arusha, Tanzania, Editha can be found collecting and selling raw milk from her dairy cow every day. Although she has always had plenty of buyers for her milk, in the past, she was rarely paid on time. Without a regular, […]
“We want to feed Senegal and Africa our healthy snack products that are locally made and the result of direct relationships with Senegalese producers and intermediaries,” Hermione Awounou, Co-Founder, ACASEN, Senegal
Hermione’s business ACASEN works with ITC’s Alliances for Action to promote ‘made in Senegal’ cashew products. She’s part of a trend that’s moving Africa away from exporting only raw commodities. A wave of finished products touting the catch phrase ‘made in Africa’ is on the rise, as the world recognizes that the continent has so […]
“I never expected to cultivate a five-acre farm on my own, but the loan has made it possible. I am planning to expand my production in the future,” Abdulai Yakubu, Farmer and Micro-Enterprise Owner, Ghana
In the 2022 production season, Abdulai Yakubu from the Gushiegu District of Ghana’s Northern Region had a breakthrough: the 25-year-old smallholder farmer and member of the Saala-based Wumpini Village Savings and Loans Association (VSLA) successfully cultivated two acres of soybean instead of just one. In the seven years prior, he had only cultivated half an […]
“I have marked another significant accomplishment – I exported rice to Turkey for the first time,” Bertha, Agrifood entrepreneur, Tanzania
Bertha, an agrifood entrepreneur who owns a trading company in Tanzania, faced a challenge after years of trying to make ends meet. Despite women making up 66% of the agricultural workforce in her country, they received little economic benefit due to deep-seated gender discrimination. Bertha was no stranger to this dynamic; she faced a lack […]
“I hope Orisha Farms can be used as a model to increase fish production and promote sustainable farming across Nigeria,” Daniel Chukwuma, Fish farmer, Orisha Farms
When Daniel Chukwuma began looking for work in Nigeria five years ago, the odds were against him: the country had an estimated 11 per cent youth unemployment rate. After a conversation with a friend, the then twenty-three-year-old decided to try something new: fish farming. He had no experience with aquaculture, but he’d enjoyed growing beans as a child. How […]
From Crisis to Opportunity: 2023 Africa Agribusiness Outlook
AGRA
“To those on the fence about investing in agricultural enterprises, I urge you to take a closer look. Agriculture is not merely another sector,” Atul Tandon, CEO, Opportunity International
In this ‘MSME Champions’ interview, Atul Tandon of Opportunity International explains how the organization channels funding to agripreneurs and small-scale farmers through its Farmer Support Agent network and local financial institutions. ‘MSME Champions’ is a series of interviews capturing the expertise and experiences of individuals and institutions supporting enterprises in the missing middle of agriculture, […]
“MSMEs play a crucial role in poverty reduction, particularly in the agricultural sector’s “missing middle,” Dorothy Nyambi, MEDA President and CEO
‘MSME Champions’ is a series of interviews capturing the expertise and experiences of individuals and institutions supporting enterprises in the missing middle of agriculture, as part of an advocacy campaign for the International Day for Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) on 27 June 2024. In this interview, Dorothy Nyambi, President and Chief Executive Officer […]
Forstering Access to Finance for Rural Entrepreneurs
FAO
“I’ve learned how to make money and I’ve also learned how to save. If anything happens, I have my savings,” Member, Kikibá Collective, Mexico
In October 2023, a segment of the Kikibá collective composed of 143 women entrepreneurs from 15 communities in Yucatán state, Mexico, reached a significant milestone: They sold their 500,000th egg to Toks restaurant chain in the city of Mérida. This resulted in total sales exceeding 1.5 million Mexican pesos, more than $86,500, and over 1.3 million […]