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GLOBAL AFRICAN AGRIBUSINESS ACCELERATOR PLATFORM (GAAAP)

MODULE II: FINANCE AND RESOURCE MOBILIZATION

WORKSHOP REPORT

STRATHMORE BUSINESS SCHOOL NAIROBI, KENYA

APRIL 4TH -5TH, 2017

AFRICA BUSINESS GROUP/GAAAP SECRETARIAT APRIL 2017

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgements a. Host a. Sponsors a. Executive Summary 1 Background 2 Objective 2 Infographic 3 Module II Overview 4 Program 5 Selected Session Notes 8 Appendix I: Delegates, Speakers, Mentors 23 Appendix II: In Their Own Words – Participant Feedback from 2017 27

GLOBAL AFRICAN AGRIBUSINESS ACCELERATOR PLATFORM STRATHMORE BUSINESS SCHOOL

NAIROBI, KENYA APRIL 4 – 5, 2017

a.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The GAAAP Secretariat would like to thank all of the institutions that helped make Module II: Finance and Technical Resource Mobilization a successful program. We thus want to acknowledge, the host institution, Strathmore Business School, the financial sponsors of this module, AGCO, GROFIN and the UN FAO, without whom facilitation of this Module would not have been possible. We also want to thank the colleagues who graciously agreed to speak and to serve as mentors during the GAAAP workshop and thus want to also recognize their institutions: Acumen Fund, African Rural and Agriculture Credit Association (AFRACA), Agriprofocus, African Agribusiness Incubators Network (AAIN), African Agriculture Technology Foundation, Kenya Agricultural Finance Corporation, African Development Bank (AfDB), Root Capital, Graca Machel Trust/ New Faces New Voices, Rabobank, Technoserve, VAELL and Africa Harvest Biotech Foundation International.

HOST

SPONSORS



a.



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Executive Summary: From April 4-5, 2017, the Global Africa Agribusiness Accelerator Platform held its Module

II: Finance and Technical Resource Mobilization Workshop at the Strathmore Business School in Nairobi, Kenya.

Seventeen delegates from 5 countries (DRC, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda) participated in the workshop

and engaged with three mentors, sixteen speakers from a variety of financial and business development support

institutions, and four facilitating members of the GAAAP Secretariat.

The delegates were engaged in panel discussions and interactive peer-to-peer learning modules and learnings

focused on helping them to improve their understanding of the agricultural finance value chain, and debt, lease

finance, impact finance and development finance in particular.

Delegates were introduced to and provided with networking opportunities with representatives from a variety

of financial institutions including: The Acumen Fund, African Development Bank, Kenya’s Agriculture Finance

Corporation, GROFIN, Root Capital, Rabobank, and VAELL (leasing). Also, a number of technical assistance

resource institutions also engaged with the delegates and provided them with insight about their work and

made suggestions about how the delegates might improve their ability to access appropriate finance for their

operating and capital expenditure needs. These institutions included Agriprofocus, the African Agribusiness

Incubation Network, the African Agriculture Technology Foundation, the African Rural and Agriculture Credit

Association, the Graca Machel Trust/ New Faces New Voices and Technoserve.

Key themes that emerged from the two-day engagement included the following insights and learnings:

• It is important for young agripreneurs to develop comprehensive business plans about their businesses

to help them present to potential financiers;

• It is equally important that young agripreneurs are able to articulate these plans personally and not to

rely on third parties to prepare them;

• Impact financiers such as ACUMEN, Root Capital and GROFIN offer funding for missing middle

enterprises (i.e. deemed too large for micro-financiers and too small for commercial banks).

Increasingly they are also funding enterprises run by dynamic young business owners, but their

decisions to fund are based on the knowledge, passion and innovation of the entrepreneur, not

necessarily their age;

• As the number of incubators that serve the agriculture sector is increasing, incubation is becoming an

important tool for agripreneurs to utilize to improve their potential bankability as incubators help

develop numerous aspects of new businesses and to help entrepreneurs address deficiencies before

they seek external funding;

• Engaging with agripreneurs peers is a helpful way to improve one’s business as often others have had to

address some of the challenges a peer’s business may have had to face;

• There a number of technical support institutions that can assist young agripreneurs, but knowing how to

find those resources and access them is not always easy as certain stakeholders only work in certain

countries and with certain types of entities in the agriculture value chain;

• Being part of a value chain significantly enhances a company’s bankability.



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Background: There is universal recognition among African agriculture and agribusiness stakeholders that it will

be impossible to achieve food security on a continent that will double in population size in the next 33 years if

more is not done to accelerate the use of modern farming and food production technology. As smallholder

farmers, primarily farming families producing food for their subsistence, comprise by far the majority of the

African farming community, they understandably receive significant attention and support from those seeking to

support African agriculture transformation.

However, despite the fact that it is widely noted that the average farmer in Africa is upwards of 55 years old,

and universally recognized that there is a need to recruit young people to the continent’s food business – across

the value chain from farm to fork – our premise is that inadequate effort has been made to identify, profile and

support the early converts to agriculture and agribusiness – and to use their success as not necessarily

“agriculturalists” but as young businessmen and women to attract their peers to want to undertake similar

pursuits.

As an African economic development company with a focus on promoting private sector development and

encouraging greater private sector engagement in support of the realization of the continental African

development agenda as outlined by the African Union and its implementation arm, the NEPAD Agency, Africa

Business Group is seeking to utilize its relationship with various Africa active business owners below and/ or

near the age of 40 who are building enterprises involved in agriculture and agribusiness to forge a platform of

practitioners - and to help them accelerate their growth and ability to be economically impactful in their chosen

fields of endeavor. Additionally, ABG seeks to use its relationships with African government, AU organs,

development partners and development agencies to accelerate the development of mutually beneficial linkages

between the emerging fast growing agri-sector companies and small holders and other stakeholders in Africa’s

food value chains.

Objective: The Global African Agribusiness Accelerator Platform (www.gaaap.biz) seeks to identify and work

with Africa-active agribusiness/ agriculture enterprise owners aged 40 or below who have been in business at

least 2-3 years or more, and who seek to grow their enterprises by 20% year on year over the next three years.

The objective of the platform is also to: a) promote intra-African, intra-youth, knowledge and success model

sharing, b) promote trade and investment in agriculture and agribusiness among platform members, c) promote

youth in agriculture and agribusiness by showcasing and promoting platform members, d) create mutually

beneficial linkages between youth owned enterprises and the growing number of smallholder farmer

transformation “projects” on the continent; and e) accelerate the economic impact of agriculture and

agribusiness enterprise owners who are GAAAP members – in the communities where they are active.



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Infographic:



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Module II Overview: The Global African Agribusiness Accelerator Platform 2016/ 2017 Program, Module II: Finance and Technical Resource Mobilization was held on April 4-5, 2017 ( Tuesday 4th – Wednesday 5th) .The workshop will be convened at Strathmore Business School in Nairobi, West.

Being able to access capital is something that is critical to an entrepreneur’s ability to expand and grow. However, securing expansion capital – to mechanize one’s farm, to being processing, to expand operations and even to trade – is particularly difficult to secure for small and medium sized enterprises within the agriculture and agribusiness value chain in Africa, generally, and especially for youth owned enterprises. The focus of the second module of GAAAP was to introduce for some, and revisit for others, key financial resources that youth involved in agribusiness can seek to secure to develop and expand their companies. The discussion included, but was not exclusively limited to, discussions about accessing/ sourcing:

• Lease Finance

• Value Chain Finance

• Warehouse Receipts

• Equity Investment

• Impact Investment

• Trade Finance

• Challenge Fund Capital

• Development Finance

The structure of the program module involved on Day I, plenary panel discussions and interactive peer-to-peer workshops that helped delegates work to decide the type of finance they need and begin to strategize about how to acquire the needed resource. Day I also included a presentation planning workshop where delegates had the chance to discuss how to present their businesses and “pitch” their projects to a variety of financiers and to gather information about prospective sources of capital. The evening of Day I concluded with a networking dinner. The morning of Day II featured an Investment Facilitation Platform (IFP) through which the youth owned enterprises in attendance had an opportunity to present their businesses and to receive feedback on their fundraising plans and to learn about potential sources of capital from financiers and business development services providers attending the workshop. Day II also feature an inter-generational experience sharing dialogue and also a session on technical assistance resource mobilization, to help ensure that post-financing, operations are managed in the best possible way to ensure that financial projections are met. Delegates were also presented with memory sticks that included information from the various speakers’ institutions as well as GAAAP suggested resources: the African Women and Youth Finance Digital Directory, the UNDP Inclusive Business Finance Field Guide, the 2015 Africa Agriculture Status Report, and Impact Investment in Africa.



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Module II Program:

Day 1 – Tuesday, April 4, 2017

8:00 – 8:45hrs Registration

9:00 – 9:30hrs Welcome and Overview of GAAAP Welcome and Overview to GAAAP - Mr. Michael Sudarkasa, CEO,

Africa Business Group

Welcome – Mr. Gary Collar, Senior Vice-President Asia-Pacific and Africa, AGCO

Welcome from Strathmore University Business School – Dr. Vincent

Ogutu, Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor, Planning and Development

9:30 – 10:15hrs Workshop Session 1 – Introductions and Expectations Peer to Peer Introductions 3 Questions

o Who I am and what I do?

Why am I here/ what do I want to get out of the Finance Module of GAAAP?

o My experience from GAAAP 2016/2017 Module I o How can I contribute to GAAAP?

10:15 – 11:00hrs Understanding the Agribusiness Finance Value Chain

Moderator: Mr. Michael Sudarkasa, CEO, Africa Business Group

Ms. Amanda Namayi, System Developer, Agricultural Finance

Corporation Mr. Paul Njeru, Regional Director, VAELL Lease Finance

11:00 – 11:15hrs Coffee Break

11:15 – 12:00hrs Workshop Session 2 - Needs Assessment Peer to Peer Deliberations 3 Questions

o What type of capital do I need to accelerate the growth of my business?

o How do I foresee being able to acquire it? o How do I want to leverage my participation in GAAAP to

support this effort to secure needed capital?

Key Steps to Accessing Debt Capital and Understanding Leasing Finance for Capital Goods Acquisition



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Moderator: Mr. Edward Katende, CEO, Uganda Agribusiness Alliance

Mr. Fred Kitenge, General Manager East Africa, Root Capital

Mr. Ritesh Shah, CEO, Rabobank – Africa, Kenya Mr. Nestor Nibitanga, Programme Assistant, AFRACA

13:45 – 14:30hrs Networking Lunch

14:30 – 15:15hrs Workshop Session 3 – Action Planning

Peer to Peer Deliberations 3 Questions o What steps will I take over the next 6 months to secure capital that I think will help my business/ organization grow? o How would I prioritize them?

o What assistance do I need from the GAAAP Team/ Community?

15:15 – 16:00hrs Impact and Development Capital for Agribusiness in Africa

Moderator: Mr. Tewodros Zewdie, Executive Director, Ethiopian Horticulture Producers Exporters Associations

Ms. Rebecca Mincy, Head, Agribusiness, ACUMEN

Ms. Mkola Tambwe, Senior Investment Officer, African Development Bank

16:00 – 16:15hrs Coffee Break

16:15 – 17:15hrs Workshop Session 4 – Prepping for Pitching What Financiers are Looking for When You Present to Them Written Presentation/ Oral Presentation/ Support Interactive Discussion

17:30 – 18:00hrs Transfer Back to Hotel

19:00 – 22:30hrs Networking Dinner

Day 2 – Wednesday, April 5, 2017 9:00 – 11:00hrs GAAAP IFP - Agribusiness Finance Pitch Opportunities (I)

Kick off Remarks on Presenting to Financiers: Ms. Rosemary Mulwa, Investment Executive, GROFIN



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Hour 1 - 4 to 6 Presentations Hour 2 – 4 to 6 Presentations

11:00 – 11:15hrs Coffee

11:15 – 13:00hrs GAAAP IFP - Agribusiness Finance Pitch Opportunities (II)

Hour 3 – 4 to 6 Presentations Hour 4 – 4 to 6 Presentations

13:00 – 13:45hrs Cross Generational Roundtable

Professor Ghislain Tshikendwa Matadi, Director, Center for Research and Communication in Sustainable Development (CERED)

13:45 – 14:45hrs Networking Lunch 14:45 – 15:4rhrs Mobilizing Technical Assistance Moderator: Mr. Jean Kaahwa, CEO Africa Agribusiness Services Limited

Ms. Maureen Munjua, Country Coordinator Kenya, Agriprofocus Ms. Joy Mulema, Associate, FAO - Kenya Ms. Mary Njeri Thiong'o, Director – East Africa, African Agribusiness

Incubator Network Ms. Andia Chakava, Country Director, New Faces, New Voices

15:45 – 16:00hrs Coffee Break 16:00 – 17:00hrs Good Practice in Sourcing Technical Assistance

Moderator: Mr. Michel Kahasha, MD, Dellions

Mr. Emmanuel Okogbein, Director Technical Operations, African

Agriculture Technology Foundation Mr. Jonathan Thomas, Chief of Party – SAFE Program, Technoserve

17:00 – 17:30hrs Wrap Up Session – Review of the Day and Module II Overall

Group Discussions 2 Questions Closing Remarks and Way Forward – Michael Sudarkasa, CEO, Africa Business Group

18:00 – 18:30hrs Transfer back to hotel



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Selected Session Notes:

Day 1 – Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Session Title: Welcome and Overview of GAAAP

Mr. Michael Sudarkasa, CEO, Africa Business Group/ Founder, GAAAP

Mr. Michael Sudarkasa began by welcoming the delegates to GAAAP and thanking the colleagues on the dais for their participation in the Opening Ceremony. He went on to introduce GAAAP and the planned activities of the two-day program. Mr. Sudarkasa is the CEO of Africa Business Group, an economic development and business development-consulting firm based in Johannesburg, South Africa. GAAAP is a capacity development program of Africa Business Group.

Dr. Vincent Ogutu, Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor, Strathmore University

Dr. Vincent Ogutu welcomed the members of the dais, the delegates and the speakers to the Strathmore University and to Strathmore Business School in particular. He gave a brief history of the University and explained it was founded as the first multiracial institution of higher learning in Kenya. He continued in sharing that the Strathmore Business School was founded because there was a skills gap when it came to accounting, marketing, administration skills and other business functions in the local Kenyan market. The Strathmore Business School was established to fill that gap and train the business leaders and professionals of tomorrow. He also added that in recent years the school has developed a greater focus on agribusiness skills development and as such welcomed the opportunity to party with the GAAAP Secretariat for the workshop.

Mr. Gary Collar, Senior Vice President Asia Pacific and Africa, AGCO

Mr. Gary Collar is the Senior Vice President Asia Pacific and Africa at AGCO. AGCO is a mechanization company with many brands, including the flagship Massey Ferguson tractor. The company recently moved its Africa operations to Johannesburg, South Africa. In his opening remarks, Mr. Collar noted that AGCO was again pleased to support GAAAP after having hosted the launch of GAAAP at its Future Farm Training Center in Lusaka, Zambia in December 2016. AGCO, he continued, believes that upskilling young farmers and promoting mechanization to the future farmers of the continent is an important endeavor and as such this is an area that the company believes should be supported.



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Session Title: Understanding the Agribusiness Finance Value Chain

Speaker: Ms. Amanda Namayi, System Developer, Agricultural Finance Corporation (AFC)

Ms. Namayi began her contribution to the panel session on “Understanding the Agribusiness Finance Value Chain” by providing an overview of the finance value chain from the perspective of her bank, the Kenya government’s Agricultural Finance Corporation. A value chain, she noted is a set of activities that a firm operating in a specific industry performs in order to deliver a valuable product or service for the market. AFC (Agricultural Finance Corporation) has over 80 years of experience in financing agribusiness and 30% of the portfolio focuses on youth and women empowerment. AFC is supported by and works with the Kenyan government, development partners, development banks, insurance service providers, technical service providers and the ICT solution providers. The agriculture value chain actors funded by AFC include input suppliers, farmers, producer groups, local traders, large processors and exporters/wholesalers. Ms. Namayi shared various financing models within the Agricultural Finance Corporation with the delegates, illustrating the agribusiness finance value chain. She explained the value chain of an AFC client, Bura, and the transformation it had undertaken after AFC provided agricultural credit and capacity. Machines were financed, water supply and maintenance along with seed and fertilizer were also financed and this led to increased employment and empowerment of youth and women. ICT was also noted as an important key and Ms. Namayi spoke about AFC’s FITNESS tool to reduce transaction costs. FITNESS stands for the Farming Information Technology Network Enterprise System Service. A system that allows a farmer to apply for a loan on a mobile telephone, connect to input suppliers and receive market updates linked to the farmer’s production and potential local nd export markets. In conclusion Ms. Namayi stated that the outreach of AFC has improved the livelihood of over 40,000 families in Kenya and supported the sustainable development of over 1 million acres of farm land across the country.

Speaker: Mr. Paul Njeru, Regional Director, VAELL

Mr. Njeru from VAELL was the second speaker on the panel. Vehicle and Equipment Leasing Limited (VAELL) is an independent asset leasing, maintenance and consulting company. Established in 2006, they have established themselves as the foremost experts in asset & plant lease acquisition and maintenance, providing services in an array of sectors across the economy. VAELL has a comprehensive network with fully fledged subsidiaries in five countries; Kenya (Headquarter), Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Zambia. In addition to the five countries they also have ability to offer leasing services to over 20 other countries in Africa through off-shore structures. Mr. Njeru stated that VAELL’s leasing in the agricultural sector included the provision of financial support for cold storage (facilities starting at $1200 per month), greenhouses



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(starting at $200 per month), tractors (starting at $700 per month), and silos (starting at $150 per month). He illustrated the impact of leasing by using an example of a man-made dam versus a dam created using leased excavation equipment – whereas manually it costs $700 and takes days to construct a dam of 1 000 square feet, alternatively using a bulldozer with an operator, it costs $420 and takes only 6 hours to create a dam of 3 000 square feet. As part of his presentation, Mr. Njeru also displayed a video on TINGA. TINGA is developing East Africa’s largest network of tractors and equipment for hire. It is a community mechanization concept that enables farmers to jointly access farm equipment such as tractors, plows, planters, combine harvesters, sprayers among others. Farmers come together either as an NGO, SACCO, Church, Co-operative society or Chama and Tinga provides equipment for farming use at the community level. Farmers can access farm mechanization services through an sms and mobile based application from which they can choose a host of services ranging from Chisel Ploughing to Harvesting. Through TINGA, VAELL seeks to impact the communities by being at the forefront of introducing innovative and value adding mechanization services and by helping farmers to access superior, modern and affordable tractor services and farm implements.

Session Title: Key Steps to Accessing Debt Capital and Leasing Finance for Capital Goods Acquisition

Moderator: Mr. Edward Katende, CEO, Uganda Agribusiness Alliance

Mr. Katende served as a moderator of this session and he began by introducing the session theme “Key Steps to Accessing Debt Capital and Leasing Finance for Capital Goods Acquisition”. Uganda Agribusiness Alliance was established in the year 2014, as a non-profit multi-stakeholder partnership and member’s based organization, to catalyze sustainable investment and growth in the Ugandan agricultural and agriculture associated industry. UAA works with agriculture stakeholders to identify and coordinate solutions that address which systemic affect the development of agribusiness in Uganda.

Speaker: Mr. Fred Kiteng’e, General Manager East Africa, Root Capital Mr. Kiteng’e is the General Manger of Root Capital East Africa and he delivered the opening presentation for this panel. Root Capital is an impact investor that focuses on agriculture and developing economic actors at the “base of the pyramid”. They are active across Africa and in Latin America and provide financial support through their lending operations, provision of financial training, and by strengthening market connections for small and growing businesses – including for their agriculture and agribusiness clients. Mr. Kiteng’e presented the mission and vision of Root Capital to grow rural prosperity by investing in agricultural businesses that build sustainable livelihoods and he noted that the institution aims to support agricultural businesses that generate social, economic, and environmental sustainability for small farmers and their communities.



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He further explained that Root Capital provides advisory services as well as finance to its clients. Mr. Kiteng’e added that Root Capital is active in 26 Countries having begun their lending in Indonesia in 2014. He also explained how Root Capital’s lending is directed towards businesses that are deemed too big for microfinance, but generally unable to secure credit from conventional commercial banks (too small or risky). Their lending range is between $10 000 and $2 million (the “missing middle”). He concluded his presentation on a note that Root Capital, lends to producer associations and private enterprises that are building sustainable livelihoods in the following sectors: agriculture, timber and non-timber forest products, fisheries, hand crafts and apparel.

Speaker: Mr. Ritesh Shah, CEO, Rabobank –Africa, Kenya

Mr. Ritesh Shah from Rabobank was the next speaker in the panel discussion. His presentation provided insights on understanding lease finance for capital goods acquisition. Mr. Shah began his presentation by introducing DLL, a wholly owned subsidiary of Rabobank Group. DLL Financial Solutions Partner is a global provider of asset-based financial solutions in the agriculture, food, healthcare, clean technology, transportation, construction, industrial and office technology industries. They collaborate with equipment manufacturers, dealers and distributors in more than 35 countries to finance equipment for businesses through long term asset finance payment facilities. He also noted that DLL is seeking to support AGCO in Africa, starting with countries such as South Africa, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. Potential markets he noted include: Nigeria, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt and Senegal. Mr. Shah also explained that leasing is a financing product that enables the lessor to provide a right to use an asset to a lessee in exchange for periodic payments over a period of time. Leasing products include finance leases, hire purchase agreements, operating leases and asset backed loans.



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Speaker: Mr. Nestor Nibitanga, Programme Assistant, AFRACA

Mr. Nestor Nibitanga was the last speaker of the panel representing Mr. Saleh Gashua, Secretary General at AFRACA. The African Rural and Agricultural Credit Association is a regional association of financial and non-financial institutions involved in providing rural and agricultural finance in Africa. AFRACA was established in 1977 alongside similar institutions across the globe as a lead advocate and coordinator of rural and agricultural finance in different regions around the world. The AFRACA Secretariat is based in Nairobi, Kenya where it was registered under the NGOs Coordination Act in 1981 and received diplomatic status in 2003. Mr. Nibitanga explained to the GAAAP delegates that AFRACA’s mission is to improve the rural finance environment by improving the policy framework across Africa and to encourage members to provide sustainable quality financial services mainly to the bottom of the pyramid communities. AFRACA’s vision is for rural African people to have access to sustainable financial services for economic development.

Session Title: Impact and Development Capital for Agribusiness in Africa

Moderator: Mr. Tewodros Zewdie, Executive Director, Ethiopian Horticulture Producers Exporters Association

Mr. Tewodros Zewdie, Executive Director, Ethiopian Horticulture Producers Exporters Association was the moderator of the session on “Impact and Development Capital for Agribusiness in Africa”. The Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporters Association (EHPEA) is a horticultural association based in Ethiopia. It was established in 2002 to promote the export horticulture and floriculture sector in Ethiopia. The association now has over 80 members and its management is carried out by a Board of five members elected by the General Assembly.

Speaker: Ms. Rebecca Mincy, Head of Agribusiness, ACUMEN Ms. Mincy as the Head of Agribusiness for ACUMEN Kenya opened up the session and began by sharing the manifesto of ACUMEN. “We believe in choice not charity, at Acumen, we believe solving the problems of poverty starts by standing with the poor. Our manifesto serves as a compass for the kinds of leaders we hope to be and a reflection of the values required taking on the world’s biggest problems. It starts by standing with the poor, listening to voices unheard, and recognizing potential where others see despair. It demands investing as a means, not an end, daring to go where markets have failed and aid has fallen short. It makes capital work for us, not control us. It thrives on moral imagination: the humility to see the world as it is, and the audacity to imagine the world as it could be. It’s having the ambition to learn at the edge, the wisdom to admit failure, and the courage to start again. It requires patience and kindness, resilience and grit: a hard-edged hope. Its leadership that rejects complacency,



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breaks through bureaucracy, and challenges corruption. Doing what’s right, not what’s easy. Acumen: it’s the radical idea of creating hope in a cynical world. Changing the way the world tackles poverty and building a world based on dignity.” She further noted that Acumen raises charitable donations to invest in companies, leaders, and ideas that are changing the way the world tackles poverty. She further indicated that the sectors in which Acumen invests include: agriculture, education, energy, health, housing and water. Lastly, Ms. Mincy noted that Acumen funds businesses in East Africa, West Africa, India and Pakistan. The impact fund also prefers investees that are at an early-mid stage company and in the process of scaling up. She noted, however, that Acumen “ . . . rarely invests in pure start-up companies”. Typical investments are made in the range between $250000 - $3 million and structured as either debt or equity. It is important that potential investees have a strong management team and that the business owners are “ . . .passionate about their company, have the vision to execute the business plan, an unwavering commitment to serve the poor, and unyielding ethics.”

Speaker: Ms. Mkola Tambwe, Senior Investment Officer, African Development Bank – East Africa

Ms. Tambwe, a Senior Investment Officer in the African Development Bank – East Africa Regional office spoke to the delegates about her work providing wholesale finance to African financial institutions for private sector projects and also shared a presentation on the Bank’s Enable Youth Program. The ENABLE (Empowering Novel Agri-Business-Led Employment) Youth Program is an initiative which in its pilot phase has provided evidence that with greater access to enterprise and institutional support, African youths can become key drivers of agricultural transformation in Africa. In her remarks, Ms. Tambwe mentioned that Africa has a significant challenge with high youth unemployment and noted that to address this issue, the ENABLE program seeks to mobilize $15 billion to support enterprise and job creation for women and youth, invest in 30 African countries, create 150 million agribusiness jobs and 300 000 agribusiness enterprises, and support the training of 10 000 unemployed graduates. Ms. Tambwe also noted that ENABLE has approved projects in DRC, Nigeria and Sudan worth $370 Million, projects in Malawi, Zambia and Cameroon worth $150 million, and expansion of the ENABLE program is planned for 15 countries for 2017 and 2018.

Session Title: Prepping for Pitching (Investor Presentation Preparation Workshop)

Summary The last session of day one involved an interactive discussion with the youth agripreneurs about key aspects of presenting their businesses to financiers and prospective partners. The focus of the discussion was about key components of a business plan – inclusive of company/ project name, contact details of the company, location of the project, management structure, market and competition analysis, marketing strategy, policy environment and incentives, financial projections, risk factors and mitigation strategies, and the type of funding needed and planned use of funds. The agripreneurs were then given the evening to prepare and deliver a presentation on their business plans for the following morning.



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Day 2 – Wednesday, April 5, 2017

GAAAP – Agribusiness Finance Pitch Opportunities

Kickoff Remarks on Presenting to Financiers: Ms. Rosemary Mulwa, Investment Executive, GROFIN

Ms. Mulwa began her remarks by sharing with the delegates information about GROFIN. GROFIN is a financier that focuses on small and growing businesses (SGBs) across Africa and the Middle East. GROFIN combines patient capital and specialized business support to grow emerging market enterprises. Presently the financier is in ten countries and will open a branch in Senegal. A hallmark of GROFIN is that the company lends in local currency. She continued in explaining that GROFIN seeks to work with entrepreneurs in developing and implementing their business plans, and they want to see that potential funding recipients are passionate and invested. GROFIN looks to fund entrepreneurs that know their industries and really know their business. She further stated that is important that entrepreneurs have a team and that the must also be passionate. Skill and experience are also key attributes to have in a business for GROFIN to be interested. If an enterprise is a startup - they want to see that the founder has relevant experience in the sector and industry. GROFIN also wants to understand what makes your product or service unique as successful entrepreneurs are able to demonstrate and articulate why and how they have a particular competitive advantage (s). Ms. Mulwa also advised the delegates to do their best to make sure that their business serves a particular need and to think about their target market and seek to comprehensively understand why their product/ service is needed. Determine how large the potential market is and where demand is greatest? Is the market seasonal? How will loans be serviced in the off season? In regard to developing financial projections, she noted that entrepreneurs do not have to be chartered accountants but they are expected to understand their company’s financials. It was okay, she continued, to use external book keepers and accountants, but she reiterated that the entrepreneur must understood and be able to present their company’s financial status themselves. Also, as GROFIN is an “impact firm”, she explained that target clients also have to have social aims in addition to presenting potentially profitable business models. Examples of such social aims include: creating jobs, empowering women, supporting bottom of the pyramid development, working in an environmentally friendly way, using renewable energy and saving water. Each business, she concluded, is assessed on its own, and there are no set criteria as every business and each deal is unique. To pass an initial screening prospective clients minimally needed, a business plan that included financial statements and projections.

Agripreneur Presentations



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Mr. Johnbosco Birenge, Co-Founder, Empire Agriculture Services EAS’s management team includes Mr. Birenge, his colleague, Mr. Bunkeddeko and four others. The company is formally registered and has an export license. It also has a certificate to sell organic products. EAS exports under the “Co-Exist” coffee brand. Business Overview. EAS started as a horticulture sector capacity building firm in Uganda and saw an opportunity in the coffee subsector and decided to enter the coffee export business. EAS aggregates output from small farmers and works to identify and expand markets for their product. Currently the company is exclusively selling to the U.S. To gain the farmers’ business and loyalty, EAS works to reduce its costs and to pay the farmers prices slightly above market prices. This method has worked because the number of farmers and EAS’s sales have steadily increased since the company was launched. As Mr. Birenge is a trained agronomist, a value add of the company is the training that EAS provides to the farmers they work with. EAS also signs 5-year MOU’s with the farmers to guarantee prices. Additionally, their US buyer visits them every year. Mr. Birenge presented the company’s overall sales projections with to the delegates and a discussion was had about how these are to be evaluated - and disaggregated to determine EAS actual profits/ losses. Scalability: EAS has been adding roughly 500 farmers per year for certification. The company now has 2,300 farmers on its books, significantly up from the original 323 farmers it began working with less than 5 years ago. EAS started with an initial sale of 9,000 kg and to date they have sold 72,800 kg. The company is projecting 150,000kgs in sales by 2018. EAS is looking to expand into cocoa and vanilla as well. Currently, both co-founders subsidize their income from the business by consulting on other agriculture projects (providing extension services) – which helps keep the business’ costs down. Co-founder, Mr. Bunkeddeko, added that the company is consciously working with more women and youth.

Mr. Abrhame Endrias, CEO, Green Agro Solutions PLC Mr. Endrias explained to the delegates that Green Agro Solutions (GAS) is a one-stop shop solution for small-holder farmers. They are located in Sagure town, Arsi, a region that is responsible for 60% of the agricultural production in the country. 85% of farmers in the region there are smallholder farmers, however most still rely on the hand hoe. GAS supplies affordable mechanization and inputs to improve the capacity of these small holders. Mr. Endrias explained that he got into farming after finishing his MBA when he rented 9 hectares of land and began growing tomatoes and onions. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen market changes, the business failed . . . but his interest in agriculture remained undeterred. In Arsi, he also noted that there are roughly 9,000 small holders and only 100 tractors. GAS began working with a local university to educate farmers on the benefits of using mechanization. This training program creates a market for GAS because as farmers learn about



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the various benefits of using mechanized equipment they become more interested in renting from GAS. GAS is currently working in Arsi, however the firm wants to expand to other regions. The company seeks a projected market of 58,000 farms. The business is different from their competitors (other extension service providers) (though there are few) because GAS offers an end -to- end service. Selected GAS milestones and accomplishments include:

• Acquisition of mechanization equipment.

• Employing 19 youths.

• Increased productivity for smallholders by 20%.

• Farmer incomes increased by 15% percent.

The GAS management team consists of five people. The company has three revenue streams: mechanization service, pesticide and vet drug sales, and the provision of farm credit. Company expenses include: cost of goods sold (COGS), marketing, operating expenses and administration.

Mr. Jean Kaahwa, Shalom Fish Farm Limited/Africa Agribusiness Services Limited Mr. Kaahwa’s background is in fish farming. Shalom Fish Farm Limited is a cage fishing business. It unfortunately failed and went bankrupt in its first launch but he is working to re-establish the business now. He is currently producing 6 tonnes per year but wants to scale up to do 30 tonnes per month. The key driver he noted is getting an adequate offtake contract. His target market is Kenya, which he believes is underserved from his native Uganda. In discussing his business, he noted that fish feed accounts for 70% of his fish farm costs. If one can get their feed costs own, the business one can be very successful. Mr. Kaahwa also discussed his financial projections and noted the following key components:

- He currently harvests just once per month - His capacity is dependent on number of cages.

In noting that there is a difference between being financially viable and bankable, he explained tht he believes that he is currently viable and he would like assistance from the GAAAP team and community to help him become bankable.

’

Mr. Louis Wajeiya, Manjani Foods Mr. Wajeiya noted that his is actually a recently launched business. His focus is on farming, packaging and processing affordable nutritious foods that are ready to eat. He has invested $9,000 USD of his own money to better understand the market and to seek equipment to help with the development of his farm. One of the key challenges he noted was access to a reliable source of water. In addition to seeking capital for infrastructure improvement, he also stated that he was interested in having a mentor. During the course of GAAAP, he also stated that he was keen to identify an incubator within which he could develop his business.



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Ms. Muthoni Nguthi, Co-Founder, Agribroka Ms. Nguthi, who is a coder herself, explained that her start-up company has developed a sales intermediary app, Agribroka, that seeks to become a marketplace within which farmers can be efficiently connected to the market. The problem she is seeking to solve is to resolve the challenges of indirect market access that small farmers have given their reliance on aggregator intermediaries. These buyers do not always provide farmers with good prices and thus Agribroka wants to cut out the middleman and help increased the earnings of the farmer. Problem:

- Lack of direct market access - Gap in supply demand matching - Unfair prices

The customer segments include the following:

- Small and medium farmers - Wholesalers - Retailers - Organizations/Institutions

One challenge she noted in presenting her business case was that there are a number of other apps with similar concepts in the Kenyan market. However, toward product differentiation, she explained that she has conducted a mapping exercise to see what the others are doing and how her company can develop a unique product. While she sees Agribroka’s initial sales stream coming from commissions on the sales facilitated, at a later stage they would also like to include transport services and warehouse services, and become an Amazon-like commercial resource for farmers and their value chains.

Mr. Mokabi Makonzi Ruddy, Managing Director, DRC Rise Mr. Ruddy is a banker by training and is seeking to establish a non-bank financial institution in the DRC to finance the agriculture sector. DRC Rise is meant to provide a solution for SME’s and agripreneurs, specifically he is looking to finance Congolese SME’s and to set up a guarantee fund for agripreneurs. Since 2007/8 he believes that there are a lot of good things economically happening in the country, however Congolese SME’s have been slow to benefit from the progress due to inadequate banking support. Key challenges for SME’s relate to their relative lack of collateral. DRC Rise will provide a guarantee fund to assist SME’s. To be considered, client SMEs would have to be a minimum of 3 years old and have proved themselves. In discussing the potential social impact of his business, he noted that DRC Rise intends to:

- Contribute to build a strong middle class - Create employment - Promotes young entrepreneurs.

The firm would also provide performance bonds for SME’s seeking to tender for business as DRC Rise would step in to provide the guarantee needed and to allow the SME’s to bid for



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projects.

Ms. Viviane Kahasha, Director, Pembeni Ferchette Ms. Kahasha explained that she also has a finance background, but was moved to form Pembeni Ferchette by her perception of a gap in the local Kinshasa, DRC market for readymade pre-packaged food. Thus, her aim is to develop a national food distribution company that will serve as a food wholesaler similar to Massmart’s mega-store, Makro. Currently in DRC there is an inefficiency in food supply and rapid urbanization. Ferchette is derived from the French words Ferme (farm) and fourchette (fork) and is thus a play on words that in essence means from ‘farm to fork’. The company intends to supply food from 4 key farming zones around Kinshasa. Targeted agricultural goods include cassava, potatoes, yam and fruits. Ms. Kahasha indicated that she is starting production on her own farm, but is looking to aggregate from neighboring farms as well. Her aim is to grow Pembani Ferchette as an environmentally friendly company with a social impact. Thus, she intends to promote water conservation, organic farming and the use of natural pesticides on her farm.

Mr. Innocent Abutu, Logistics Manager, Fresh Direct Mr. Abutu presented a power point on Fresh Direct of Abuja, Nigeria. Fresh Direct is an urban agriculture company using hydroponic technology. As the crops do not require soil, the “farm” in a container that Fresh Direct has developed requires minimal space and portends the development of a vertical farm. In a 20 ft container, Fresh Direct can produce 3000 heads of lettuce and they have developed a target market of over 200 corporate customers including restaurants, hotels and supermarkets. As present, Fresh Direct has 2 fully operational containers and they provide packaging and distribution. They have 5 current customers and produce 1,115 kg per month on average. Their maximum operational expense is $1,461 per month.

Ms. Nancy Mwaha, Program Manager, Amalay Hortipen Ms. Mwaha’s company, Amalay Hortipen, has been in business since 2014. She stated in her presentation that she considers herself an accidental farmer. As a student of natural resource management and having a father who was an agronomist, she felt that earlier in life she was always running from agriculture. However, she found a niche in the area of farm management for urban dwellers with rural farms, and believes that there may be a future in agriculture for her after all. Amalay Hortipen targets Kenya’s growing number of part-time farmers who retain their day jobs in the city but want to expand their farms in the rural areas. These are often young professionals seeking to develop inherited land or improve family holdings using more modern farming technologies. The current interest of Amalay Hortipen is to establish greenhouses and to increase the number of agricultural extension workers that she has to help with operations. She and her partners have a combined 10 years of work experience and are seeking to augment their capacity.



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Boniface Mutuku, Managing Director, Konza Farms Mr. Mutiku was the final agripreneurs to present and he shared with the delegates the fact that he is the owner of Konza Farms, a ten-acre farm that mainly is focusing on producing fruits and onions. He currently has 2.5 acres are under drip irrigation. The business has been operational for 18 months. Mr. Mutuku handles everything from marketing, accounting and operations. He has two permanent employees and several casual workers for busier seasons. This coming harvest season he is expecting 3 tonnes harvest. His current and past challenges include relying on a bad agronomist, as all of the information that was provided proved to be wrong and cost the business a lot. Additional challenges include high energy costs, high labor costs, a lack of proper storage and unstable market conditions. Mr. Mutuku is interested in agri-tourism and wants to introduce a small orchard where people/ tourists can come to the orchard and pick fresh fruits and vegetables to be made into fresh juices and salads onsite. He also would like to introduce an online store or partner with an existing platform to make his produce available online for purchase. Additionally, he has identified an unsatisfied local demand for mushrooms. Mushroom farming has high yields of about 10kg/sq meter. Herbs also have a growing demand on the export market especially in the US and are resilient meaning they can survive in low rain conditions. Ultimately, his vision for the farm is use sustainable farming practices and technology to develop a very modern “smart” farm, using the latest technologies available. Mr. Mutuku has a vision to one day run his farm from an iPad. Logistically, he also believes that his farm is quite strategically located as it is 50 km from the Nairobi JKIA airport, 20km from the national railway, and a major internet access cable is 1km away.

Session Title: Cross Generational Roundtable

Professor Ghislain Tshikendwa Matadi, Director, Center for Research and Communication in Sustainable Development (CERED)

Professor Matadi spoke to the delegates during the period for company presentation, but the general focus of his message was about the importance of educating and supporting young Africans interested in the agriculture sector. He also introduced his center, CERED, which has an agribusiness incubator that helps young students to become entrepreneurs in agribusiness. “The future of Africa depends on the creativity of youth agripreneurs.” We have to encourage entrepreneurship from the time when students are in university and speak passionately about business. The solution is to assist students in starting small businesses while they are in university. Speak to them with passion and realism about business. Encourage them to be creative. Tell them they can be millionaires if they work hard and with discipline. He added that we also need to also focus on research because climate change can and will affect your business in a big way. Research should be at the center of agricultural business. The research center has a mushroom project that trains young people on how to produce



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mushrooms and how to manage day-to-day operations of such a farm. Estelle is one of those students and she began producing mushrooms while still in school. It’s called the Mongata Project.

Session Title: Mobilizing Technical Assistance

Moderator: Mr. Jean Kaahwa, Shalom Fish Farm Limited/Africa Agribusiness Services Limited Mr. Kaahwa served as a moderator of this session and he began by introducing the session theme “Mobilizing Technical Assistance”. Africa Agribusiness Services Ltd is an agribusiness consultancy. Mr. Kaahwa is also a fish farmer.

Speaker: Ms. Maureen Munjua, Country Coordinator Kenya, Agriprofocus Ms. Munjua introduced Agriprofocus to the delegates, noting that Agriprofocus is a global multi-stakeholder that is present in 11 African countries which was started in the Netherlands. In supporting value chain development and food security, Agriprofocus works with agripreneurs and farmers and helps link them with partners and support institutions (in government, among NGOs and within the private sector) In encouraging the delegates, she noted that the high fail rate for startups can be avoided by doing one’s homework and studying who has pursued that business before (why they failed and/or what worked).

Speaker: Ms. Joy Mulema, Associate, FAO – Kenya Ms. Mulema explained that FAO is a technical organization of the United Nations focused on developing the global agricultural sector, particularly related to developing countries. FAO’s vision is to see a world free of hunger. In Kenya, FAO is involved in horticulture, livestock and fisheries. FAO has a presence across the African continent and all over the world. Their sub-regional headquarters is in Ghana. She added that today, resilience is now the thing to focus on as climate change and drought are inevitable but there are ways to mitigate that. Ms. Mulema works with her office’s youth program on initiatives that seek to increase the involvement of youth in agriculture with a particular focus on increasing food security, reducing youth unemployment and increasing income. She noted, however, that even the FAO has challenges recruiting young people to farming as many youth are not willing to graduate from university and get their hands dirty and thus she sees the improvement of perceptions about careers in agriculture as a key area that needs to be addressed in Africa to have food security in the future. In conclusion, she highlighted some of the challenges youth are facing in Agriculture, including lack of skills, lack of awareness of value chain opportunities, high interest rates when they do enter business, and difficulties accessing markets. However, she noted that young people are innovative with technology and there is a growing focus by youth on apps and technology to support agriculture.



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Speaker: Ms. Andia Chakava, Country Director, New Faces, New Voices Ms. Chakava represents New Faces New Voices in Kenya and has a finance background. In her presentation, she noted that NFNV is operating in about 18 countries. The initiative works to build networks of women in business and to help them tell their stories and gain increased access to opportunities in finance and in business. Agriculture, she explained, is one of the sectors that they work in where there is an equal contribution from both genders, but where the economic benefit is not equally shared as men seem too often control the profits earned where they work with their wives collaboratively. NFNV also seeks to create a network of female leaders in the finance, business and entrepreneur sectors. In Kenya, they seek to promote women owned businesses, and to play an advocacy role to improve policies related to gender. In conclusion, she highlighted that “gender discussion is not about women only but also men.”

Speaker: Ms. Mary Njeri Thiong’o, Director – East Africa, African Agribusiness Incubator Network (AAIN)

Ms. Thiongo’ is the Director – East Africa for the African Agribusiness Incubator Network. AAIN is an incubator of incubators and works to build the capacity of agribusiness incubators across Africa. Ms. Thiong’o explained that there is a huge gap in agribusiness incubation on the continent, yet, she noted that financiers are less willing to invest in agribusinesses that have not been through incubation as 85% of businesses that go through incubation survive, versus a much higher failure rate for those companies that are not incubated. Incubation, she continued, helps identify correctible mistakes more easily so that early stage companies can survive and grow. Population growth projections for Africa by 2050 estimate that the continent’s population will reach 2.4 billion people. The potential market that will be created is huge, but the key is how to convert potential into food security. Given that this is the world’s most youthful continent, which translates into potential manpower, much can be done to develop the agriculture sector in Africa. However, the continent is very technologically challenged and incubation can help with technology adoption and to reduce start-up failure rates and to ensure that ideas are tested and/or commercialized. Lastly, she noted that AAIN is working to develop an African Agribusiness Incubation fund (AAIF) and to facilitate investment opportunities for private companies to invest in incubated companies.

Session Title: Good Practice in Sourcing Technical Assistance



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Moderator: Mr. Michel Kahasha, CEO, Dellions Group Mr. Kahasha served as the moderator of this session and he began by introducing the session theme “Good Practice in Sourcing Technical Assistance”. His firm, Dellions Group provides SME Consulting, financing and training solutions. They have offices in both the DRC and South Africa. For corporations interested in DRC, Congo, Rwanda and Burundi, thy assist companies in getting or extending their footprint in Africa.

Speaker: Mr. Emmanuel Okogbein, Director Technical Operations, African Agriculture Technology Foundation (AATF)

Mr. Okogbein began his discussion by sharing the fact that AATF addresses the technological needs of farmers. Agriculture is about science and technology, therefore a successful agripreneur should know and utilize the technology needed to optimize their farm/agribusiness. AATF helps farmers figure out what technologies best suit their businesses needs as they continually conduct research on tech equipment from all over the world. AATF helps farmers and agripreneurs to increase their productivity and to identify the right technology – and not only one potentially useful technology, but helps identify various potential solutions so that the prospective user can compare them on price, utility, durability and appropriateness. He further added that he believed that there are a lot of opportunities in agriculture that youth can take advantage of and AATF would welcome the opportunity to support delegates seeking to acquire technology to do so knowledgeably.

Speaker: Mr. Jonathan Thomas, Chief of Party – Solutions for African Food Enterprises (SAFE), Technoserve (TNS)

Mr. Thomas spoke to the delegates about the SAFE program which Technoserve supports and which started in Ghana and to help local entrepreneurs to build competitive farms, agribusinesses and industries. Coffee, cocoa and dairy, cashew and horticulture are the main areas of focus. Supporting value addition and processing is the key aim of the initiative. Today, SAFE is currently working in 17 countries in Africa. SAFE is involved in farmer level technical training and also with local service providers. Current impact to date: $196,000,000 revenues by Tecnoserve beneficiaries and roughly 594,000 people and businesses have had increases in their incomes. He continued that the current private sector partners involved with the SAFE program include: General Mills, Ardent Mills, Buhler, Cargill, Hershey’s and DSM. Through this program, partners tap into their expertise to support the agripreneurs. Staff from partner organizations are linked to African companies and volunteer their time to improve food processing on the continent. Technoserve has staff on the ground in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Ghana and more. They have food technologists and other professionals to help meet program beneficiaries’ business challenges. They identify key challenges that they face and what works in processing.



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Wrap Up Session – Closing Remarks and Way Forward

Mr. Michael Sudarkasa, CEO, Africa Business Group (ABG)

Mr. Sudarkasa closed the proceedings of GAAAP Module II by noting that the program started with a focus on technology adoption in Zambia. The next GAAAP Module was on Partnerships and Trade and will be aimed at help young agripreneurs to figure out what they need to become part of a larger value chain and what it takes to commence value adding and processing in their business. Market driven agriculture requires that value chain participants know who their off-takers are and where their businesses fit in the local, regional and/or global value chain. The next module will focus on developing improved access markets and identifying and strengthening partnerships. In closing, he also noted that the GAAAP Secretariat wanted to express its sincere thanks for the support from GROFIN, AGCO, FAO - and to Strathmore Business School for hosting Module II. He also thanked all of the speakers and delegates. He mentioned that the next module would be in either Dar es Salaam or somewhere in West Africa.



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Appendix I: Delegates, Speakers, Mentors

No Type Company Designation Name Country

Delegates

DRC

1 Delegate Congo Trade Managing Director Mr. Mokabi Makonzi Ruddy DRC

2 Delegate DELLIONS CEO Mr. Michel Kahasha DRC

3 Delegate Pembeni Director Ms. Viviane Kahasha DRC

ETHIOPIA

4 Delegate Green Agro Mechanization Managing Director Mr. Abrhame Endrias Ethiopia

5 Delegate

Ethiopian Horticulture Producers and Exporters Association Executive Director Mr. Tewodros Zewdie Ethiopia

KENYA

6 Delegate SNV Project Director Mr. Merdad Ehsani Kenya

7 Delegate Konza Farms Farmer Mr. Boniface Mutuku Kenya

8 Delegate Amalay Hortipen Program Manager Ms. Nancy Mwakha Kenya

9 Delegate Better World Systems CEO Ms. Muthoni Nguthi Kenya

10 Delegate Parklands Baptist Church Agribusiness Group Member Ms. Everlyne Koech Kenya

11 Delegate Majani Foods CEO Mr. Louis Wajeiya Kenya

12 Delegate VAELL Project Manager Ms. Njoki Waruingi Kenya

NIGERIA

13 Delegate Fresh Direct Logistics Manager Mr. Innocent Abutu Nigeria

UGANDA

14 Delegate Empire Agricultural Services Managing Director and Agronomist Mr. Johnbosco Birenge Uganda

15 Delegate Africa Agribusiness Services Limited Managing Director Mr. Jean Kaahwa Uganda

16 Delegate Empire Agricultural Services COO Mr. Juma Bunkeddeko Uganda

17 Delegate Uganda Agribusiness Alliance Team Leader Mr. Edward Katende Uganda

Mentors

1 Mentor

Centre de Recherche et de Communication en Développeme Cordinator of CERED

Prof. Ghislain Tshikendwa Matadi DRC

2 Mentor African Agricultural Technology Foundation

Director Resource Mobilization Ms. Sofia Tesfazion Kenya

3 Mentor Africa Harvest CEO Dr. Florence Wambugu Kenya



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Speakers

1 Speaker AGCO Senior Vice President Mr. Gary Collar UK

2 Speaker Agriculture Finance Corporation System Developer Ms. Amanda Namayi Kenya

3 Speaker Vaell Regional Manager Mr. Paul Njeru Kenya

4 Speaker Rabobank CEO Mr. Ritesh Shah Kenya

5 Speaker AFRACA Programme Assistant Mr. Nestor Nibitanga Kenya

6 Speaker Acumen Portfolio Manager Ms. Rebecca Mincy Kenya

7 Speaker AAIN

Capacity Development and Communication Ms. Mary Njeri Thiong'o Ghana

8 Speaker AgriproFocus Kenya Country Coordinator Ms. Maureen Munjua Kenya

9 Speaker AATF Director Technical Operations

Mr. Emmanuel Okogbenin Kenya

10 Speaker New Faces New Voices Chair Ms. Andia Chakava Kenya

11 Speaker TechnoServe Chief of Party, SAFE Mr. Jonathan Thomas Kenya

12 Speaker Root Capital General Manager Mr. Fred Kitenge Kenya

13 Speaker Strathmore Business School Ag Deputy Vice Chancellor Dr. Vincent Ogutu Kenya

14 Speaker African Development Bank Senior Investment Officer Ms. Mkola Tambwe Kenya

15 Speaker FAO Kenya Associate Ms. Joy Mulema Kenya

16 Speaker GROFIN Kenya

Business Development Manager Ms. Rosemary Mulwa Kenya

Guests

1 Guest VAELL Strategic Manager Ms. Nancy Wangechi Kenya

2

Guest

AGCO Manager Institutional Funding and Stakeholder Relations Africa and Middle East

Ms. Louisa Parker Zambia

Hosts

1 Host Strathmore Business School Program Manager Ms. Veronica Muniu Kenya

2 Host Strathmore Business School Head of Agribusiness Program Mr. Peter Kibe Kenya

3 Host Strathmore Business School Program Manager Mr. John Muriithi Kenya



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GAAAP Secretariat

1 GAAAP Secretariat ABG COO Ms. Mignonne Karugu South Africa

2 GAAAP Secretariat ABG Associate Ms. Zenebech Mesfin South Africa

3 GAAAP Secretariat ABG CEO Mr. Michael Sudarkasa South Africa

4 GAAAP Secretariat

ABG Project Administration Officer

Ms. Tshiamo Peloeahae South Africa

Total Participants 45



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Appendix II: In Their Own Words – Participant Feedback from 2017

• FAO Sponsorees

From: Johnbosco Birenge Sent: Wednesday, April 5, 2017 9:50 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Great meeting Dear Michael, Thanks for the invite, I find this a very useful and excellent platform for agribusiness enhancement. GAAAP has really great connections for any serious ag-business venture to stand strong and establish better. Thank you and look forward for the upcoming business linkages JB Birenge John Bosco Masters fellow, Sustainable agriculture at University of Free State, SA Bachelors (Hons) Agriculture and Education, Diploma Crop production and management, Empire agricultural services (EAS), P.O.Box 1935, Jinja, Uganda. ORGANIC CERTIFIED COFFEE COMPANY From: Tewodros Zewdie Sent: Friday, April 7, 2017 11:00 AM To: Michael Sudarkasa ; Zenebech Mesfin; Tshiamo Peloeahae ; Mignonne Karugu; GAAAP Secretariat Cc: edward.katende Subject: Thank You Dear Michael and All the Brave Team, A Very Good Day to You. I hope you had safe flight back home. I would like to express my heart-felt thanks for organizing very vibrant and interesting workshop. The way you have crafted is quite exemplary for many multilateral and bilateral organizations. I am really very happy that I made it though I was having lots of agenda in my table. Thanks also for covering my ticket and accommodation costs. If you let me know the contact details of the partners for the program like FAO I can write an official letter of thank you. Working with you is quite an interesting experience for me. Kind regards, Tewodros Tewodros Zewdie

mailto:[email protected]



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Executive Director, Ethiopian Horticulture Producers and Exporters Association Addis Ababa, Ethiopia From: Edward Katende Sent: Monday, April 10, 2017 7:30 AM To: Michael Sudarkasa Cc: Mignonne Karugu Subject: RE: Follow-Up GAAAP Module II - Finance and Technical Resource Mobilization Dear Michael Thank you so much for hosting us in Nairobi. GAAAP is a very important initiative which we at UAA will keep promoting here in Uganda. We are planning our annual youth in agribusiness Congress this year and if you haven't already found a host for the December GAAAP, we would be happy to host it in Uganda to coincide with our Congress. I will look out for further information as promised Once again thank you for hosting me and look forward to further collaboration in the future. Edward Katende | Team Leader Uganda Agribusiness Alliance

• Speakers

From: Okogbenin, Emmanuel (AATF) Sent: Wednesday, April 12, 2017 9:06 AM To: Michael Sudarkasa Cc: Tesfazion,Sofia (AATF); Mignonne Karugu Subject: RE: Follow-Up GAAAP Module II - Finance and Technical Resource Mobilization

Dear Michael,

It was a great pleasure to join you and your team at the recent GAAAP II meeting in Nairobi. I was highly impressed and motivated by the participation of a number of youths at the meeting.

Your platform embraces a practical approach to addressing the issues of agri-entrepreneurship and I find it very strategic to the agricultural development of Africa. Molding your initiatives around good partnership networking will be crucial to GAAAP’s expected outcomes.

We value our partnership with GAAAP and on this basis we look forward to more engagement with you and especially on the next activities coming up soon.

Many thanks again.

Cheers,

Emmanuel

Emmanuel Okogbenin Technical Director



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African Agriculture Technology Foundation (AATF) From: Jonathan Thomas - TNS-Kenya Sent: Thursday, April 6, 2017 8:24 PM To: Michael Sudarkasa; Mignonne Karugu; Tshiamo Peloeahae; Zenebech Mesfin; [email protected] Subject: Thanks Dear All, It was good to meet you yesterday - I trust you had a safe journey back home. Many thanks for the opportunity to participate in the workshop yesterday and to share some information on TechnoServe's work in the region. I hope that it will prove useful to your participants. We are currently working on an extension to SAFE which, if successful, will extend to 2022. It is my hope that we might be able to find some new clients from amongst the agro-processors you are supporting. Equally, if there is value in TechnoServe participating in future workshops then I would be happy to put you in touch with the relevant staff. Best wishes, Jonathan JONATHAN THOMAS Chief of Party SAFE|TechnoServe

From: Andia Chakava Sent: Thursday, April 6, 2017 8:09 PM To: Michael Sudarkasa c: Michel Kahasha (Work); Maureen Munjua; Mulema, Joy (FAOKE); Mignonne Karugu; Tshiamo Peloeahae; Korkor Cudjoe ; Mhlanga, Nomathemba (FAOSFE) Subject: Re: GAAAP Module II Finance and Technical Assistance Mobilization Update Dear Michael, Thank you for the opportunity to share insights about what we do. It's a wonderful program you run and I enjoyed watching the participants pitch their business Regards Andia From: Paul Njeru Sent: Monday, April 10, 2017 8:05 AM To: Michael Sudarkasa Cc: Mignonne Karugu; John Riggan Subject: Re: Follow-Up GAAAP Module II - Finance and Technical Resource Mobilization Dear Michael,

mailto:[email protected]



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The team was inspired and inspiring. I especially liked how they sought to encourage each other and share ideas. It was delightful to find young people full of energy to change their countries! Once again, thank you for the opportunity -as they inspired each other, I too was greatly impacted and the rest of my team who participated with me. Regards, Paul Njeru Paul Njeru Regional Director VAELL Finance (impact lease program) From: Rosemary Mulwa Sent: Friday, April 7, 2017 4:18 PM To: Michael Sudarkasa Cc: Walter Ogwal; Mignonne Karugu Subject: RE: Follow-Up GAAAP Module II - Finance and Technical Resource Mobilization Dear Michael, Thank you for the invite. It was a pleasure presenting to your delegates and listening to the interesting business proposals. We will be keen to look at funding opportunities for the businesses that fit within our profile. Best regards,

Rosemary Mulwa Investment Manager

From: Mary Njeri Sent: Friday, April 7, 2017 4:14 PM To: Michael Sudarkasa Subject: Re: Follow-Up GAAAP Module II - Finance and Technical Resource Mobilization Dear Michael and Team, It’s great to hear from you and hope that you arrived home safely and more energized to continue making a contribution towards development of agribusiness on the continent. Thank you very much also for your email and kind words of appreciation. AAIN is indeed honored to be part of this journey geared towards transforming African agriculture through agribusiness more especially the platform provided by GAAAP. It was indeed very exciting to be part of the event to share and learn as well as create networks from the event. I actually have been in communication with the DRC team and have agreed to support their



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incubator among other actions. Further I do hope we shall add value to all entrepreneurs who expressed interest in incubation support and mentorship. I am positive that AAIN is keen to continue partnering with GAAAP in coming modules and would urge you to keep us updated on the coming events. Thanks for sharing the feedback too. Best regards, Mary Njeri M Thiong'o Regional Coordinator – AAIN East Africa

• Host Organ

From: Vincent Ogutu Sent: Friday, April 7, 2017 11:07 PM To: Michael Sudarkasa Cc: Grace Kariuki ; Veronica Muniu; Peter Kibe; John Muriithi; Mignonne Karugu ; Jeffrey Robinson Subject: Re: FW: Follow-Up GAAAP Module II - Finance and Technical Resource Mobilization Dear Michael, It was great meeting you, Mignonne and the rest of your team. Some of your participants reached out to me after the welcome speech I gave them, so we'll see what that leads to. I am excited to see the partnership you have with Strathmore Business School moving beyond the Kenyan borders to other continental projects as well! And though you say we worked with you sight-unseen, we did have our eyes in the person of Prof. Jeffrey Robinson who made this initial introduction and whose recommendation is highly respected at Strathmore. And he did not disappoint. Well, great to meet you, and let's remain in touch. Best, Vincent

Dr. Vincent Ogutu Ag Deputy Vice Chancellor, Planning and Development

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