Africa Agri-food Development Programme

Deadline: 30-Jul-21

Applications are now open for the Africa Agri-Food Development Programme (AADP), a joint initiative between the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and the Department of Foreign Affairs to develop partnerships between the Irish Agri-Food Sector and African countries to support the sustainable growth of the local food industry, build markets for local produce and support mutual trade between Ireland and Africa.

This will be achieved through supporting eligible Irish companies to build meaningful partnerships with African companies and use their expertise and resources to jointly work on projects which will have a strong development impact.

It is a requirement of the AADP that any investment of public funds will be at least matched by co-funding from the private sector. It is intended that AADP investments serve as a catalyst for far greater private sector investment, which will deliver significant development impact and develop meaningful partnerships between Irish agri-food companies and locally owned and operated African companies. Funding will only be approved for applicants who can clearly demonstrate financial and development additionally. The fund is designed to leverage greater expertise, experience and investment from the Irish agri-food sector and projects should demonstrate results with a long-term developmental impact that will ultimately lead to sustainable benefits in African countries through investment by the private sector.

Irish agri-food expertise is wide-ranging and examples of suitable AADP projects include:

• Business and capacity development
• Sustainable production and processing systems
• Knowledge and Technology Transfer
• R&D
• Project Management

Funding Information

• AADP funding is up to a maximum of €250,000 per company for a Full Project and €100,000 for a Feasibility Study;
• AADP funding will not exceed 50% of the total costs of the project;

Funding Conditions

• Funding will only be awarded to Irish-registered agri food companies;
• AADP funds must be allocated in a manner that shows a direct line between the services and activities supported and the Programme’s core objectives;
• ‘In kind’ contributions offered by applicants to the AADP-funded project will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis to assess whether these contributions can be accepted as part of the matched financing arrangement. Companies must declare all other funding provided any other Irish or EU Public funding source to be used as funds contributed by the Irish registered company.
• AADP funds must only be used for:
  • The procurement, use and maintenance of machinery and other capital assets
  • Construction, retro-fitting, renovating and maintenance of commercial facilities and infrastructure that are primarily used for agri-food activities
  • Costs associated with training, education and extension services
  • Employment costs for staff that are exclusively working on activities relating to the project
  • A maximum of 50% of Travel & Subsistence costs for Feasibility Studies
• Travel & Subsistence will not be eligible for AADP funding under Full Projects
• A maximum of 50% of external Consultant, Project Management or Technical Support fees for project-specific activities (incl. Monitoring & Evaluation). Rate to be set at a maximum of €200 per day or as advised by relevant embassy for local rates.
• AADP funds will not be used to fund the manufacture, development or sale of weapons, tobacco, alcohol or gambling activities.
• In accordance with “Environmental Sustainability” being a core criterion of any successful AADP application, AADP funds will not be used to support the production of fossil fuels.
• AADP funds will not be used to support activities that contribute to deforestation (i.e. the conversion of a forest to another land use the long-term reduction of the tree canopy cover below the minimum 10% threshold) and/or forest degradation (i.e. the reduction of the capacity of a forest to provide goods and services).
• AADP funds will not be provided to companies or commercial activities that do not comply with international standards and conventions regarding: human rights, the environment, corruption, or labour laws; and where the company cannot demonstrate clear goals and ongoing measures to address these problems.

Eligibility Criteria

• All proposed projects must be commercial in nature and focus, and must contribute strongly to the sustainable development of the food system within the African country(ies) selected;
• All applicants must be agri-food companies that have been registered/incorporated in Ireland at least 12 months prior to the AADP application period commencing;
• Along with the relevant Application Form, all AADP applicants must provide:
  • At least one year of audited accounts;
  • Company and tax information
  • An account of project-related “flow of funds”
  • Any background contracts and Memoranda of Understanding
  • Any further documentation found to be relevant and agreed with partners
  • The partners involved for Full Projects must include at least one Irish registered agri-food company and one local commercial entity in Africa.
• All applicants for Full Projects must be able to demonstrate that they have at least three years of experience within their team in the relevant agri-food sector and development context.
• The application must clearly outline how these two distinct companies will enter an equitable and ethical partnership.
• If an applicant company proposes to undertake a Feasibility Study, it should include a list of any potential partners within the application.
• All proposals must clearly explain: (i) how the intended results of the project will provide additional contributions to the sustainable development of the local agri-food system in the African country(ies) and (ii) why public funds are essential to finance the initiative and will not replacing existing funding sources.
• Successful AADP funding applicants will be encouraged to engage with Irish and other national and international NGOs where possible on various aspects of the projects i.e., project design, community engagement and mobilization, training and extension, etc.
• Projects will be supported in the following countries – Botswana, Cóte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Namibia, Nigeria, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe;

For more information, visit https://www.dfa.ie/our-role-policies/international-priorities/africa/aadp/