AECF launches business competition to support South Sudan’s women in agriculture

A woman spreading shea nuts to dry. (Courtesy photo)

African development funder, AECF, on Thursday launched the Investing in Women in South Sudan program – a USD 9.4 million program supported by Global Affairs Canada (GAC), a press release said.

The Investing in Women in South Sudan program is a climate-smart agriculture program that seeks to surface innovative commercial business models that are most effective in empowering women, presenting opportunities for higher involvement, control, and ownership with the aim of increasing incomes,diversifying livelihoods and creating quality jobs for women.

“The program will take a market-based approach, sourcing for business models through an open competition. The competition, which runs from June 9, 2022, to August 9, 2022, is open to businesses that are women-led or women-focused and commercially active in the honey, sorghum, sesame, shea nut, and groundnut value chains in South Sudan,” the statement read.

According to AECF, Businesses will be chosen based on their bid’s/model’s potential to sustain development impact, guarantee inclusivity of women, increase incomes, create meaningful jobs, and improve living standards for rural populations in the targeted regions of South Sudan.

“South Sudan has immense agricultural potential; however, female small-scale farmers are still excluded from many agricultural value chains hampering their ability to increase income, reduce risk, and transform their livelihoods,” said AECF’s CEO Victoria Sabula. “Through this competition, we hope to attract women-owned and women-focused businesses in the agri-rich Central and Eastern Equatoria States that will directly benefit women and encourage the adoption of climate-smart technologies and practices.”

The AECF said it will avail funding to private sector businesses working in different nodes of the identified value chains – from inputs to production, processing, and markets. Successful applicants will be awarded performance-based grants of between $50,000 and $750,000. In addition, business development supportand customized technical assistance will be provided.