Growing agribusiness entrepreneurs in East Africa

The Agripreneurship Alliance was delighted to be offered the opportunity by Bokamoso Foods, South Africa, with the support of the Sishen Iron Ore Company-Community Development Trust, to support agripreneurs engaged in Bokoamoso’s honey value chain. The aim was to help them explore diversification and professionalism within their growing agri-businesses.  

We achieved this through remote facilitation of our ‘Agribusiness Readiness’ course which, over several weeks, introduced the Sustainable Business Canvas as a tool that can prepare an ambitious small agribusiness for launch or growth. In addition, we explored the importance of the fundamentals of running a professional business knowing your customer and market, having a clear operational plan, keeping accurate records and managing finances, whilst keeping in mind the challenges that climate change brings.

We worked with a group of 28 including 12 amazing female entrepreneurs.  To gain a certificate, participants had to participate in a minimum number of sessions and present their completed Business Canvas and a pitch introducing themselves or their business in either a deck or video.  We were blown away by the quality of the work that was shared with us, and we are confident that all of these budding entrepreneurs have a very bright future ahead of them. A testimony from one of the the agripreneurs was “Good information sharing and excellent course for the farmer”.

Our president, Anne Roulin and Marc Bigret, Executive Committee member of the Agripreneurship Alliance participated in the “Campus des Jeunes Entrepreneurs Africains” in Montpellier, France at the end of June. The week-long campus consisted of panel discussions, training sessions, and pitches. Anne and Marc gave a session on the Ecosystem of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Africa to a group of incubator managers. The participants came from various countries in West, Central and North Africa and across Europe. The ecosystem in the Montpellier area is particularly developed and dynamic and very active in terms of outreach into Africa.

In autumn 2023 the Agripreneurship Alliance was invited to undertake a mapping exercise of ‘Business Development Service’ organisations across the Nacala Corridor in the north of Mozambique..  This was a wonderful opportunity to get to know a new country and it was a privilege to work with our client, TechnoServe, and with local partners.  In early 2024, TechnoServe approached us to enquire if we would provide support to the second stage of their programme, to implement the development and launch of a network of Business Development Services that can build capacity and encourage the growth of the entrepreneurial sector across the Nacala Corridor.  In July our CEO, Steve Carr, visited the north of Mozambique to start this ambitious initiative, holding meetings with our client, local partners and some of the Business Development Services and Universities in the city of Nampula. 

This was an opportunity to get our feet on the ground and experience Mozambique with its unique culture, heritage and history and gain some understanding of the challenges that will face the programme as we develop this network.  Steve is in northern Mozambique for 3-weeks this September, working on this project and practising his fledgling Portuguese.