I&P and agribusiness: supporting SMEs that feed Africa

The potential of agribusiness in Africa is immense, the continent has 50% of the total unused fertile land in the world; about 450 million hectares¹. Yet faced with the challenges of population growth, urbanization, climate change, industrialization and competition, the sector is struggling to emerge and structure its development. 

Over the past 20 years, I&P has supported 44 agri-food SMEs across the continent and invested 21.4 million euros, through financial mechanisms and support solutions designed to respond to the specific needs of entrepreneurs in a sector quite different from others...  

I&P wanted to capitalize on these twenty years of experience through a sector-specific fact sheet, including testimonials (from investors and entrepreneurs), and identifying several key learnings for the sector.

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Five key learnings

1 - Control of supply is essential. 

2 - A clear commercial and marketing strategy provides a competitive advantage. 

3 - Technical assistance is crucial to build the capacity of contractors and their teams. 

4 - Tailored financing solutions are mandatory for the seasonal nature of the agricultural activity. 

5 - Climate issues must be at the heart of every discussion between investors and entrepreneurs.

 Dowload the fact sheet

"Producing in Africa for Africans is a challenge, certainly, but it is as much an opportunity."

"When you support a company in scaling up, you also need to support your network of producers to enable them to keep up with that growth in supply."

¹ Source