Publication
Africa Agri-Food Development Progamme: Eligibility and Applications
From Department of Foreign Affairs
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- All applicants must be agri-food companies that have been registered/incorporated in Ireland and/or one of the 18 eligible African countries of implementation for at least 12 months prior to the AADP application period commencing;
- all proposed projects must be commercial in nature and focus and must contribute strongly to the sustainable development of the food system, including alignment where possible with relevant Sustainable Development Goals, within the African country(ies) selected;
- the partners involved must have appropriate governance and financial management systems in place. 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 1 Irish registered agri-food company and 1 local commercial entity in Africa;
- all applicants for 'full projects' must be able to demonstrate that they have at least 3 years of experience within their team in the relevant agri-food sector and development context;
- the application must clearly outline how these 2 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:
- 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);
- why public funds are essential to finance the initiative and will not replace 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(for example: project design, community engagement and mobilisation, training and extension).
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
• Zimbabwe
- Sustainable development impact
- likelihood of commercial viability
- likelihood of financial and development additionality
- quality of evidence justifying the study
- study methodology, including monitoring and evaluation activities
- company experience and expertise
- analysis of risk, context and possible externalities
- The partners involved must include one agri-food company registered in Ireland and one agri-food company registered in one of the 18 eligible African countries;
- sustainable development impact (economic, social and environmental);
- financial and development additionality;
- the scope and nature of the partnership proposed with a locally-owned and operated African company;
- intervention logic and commercial viability;
- company experience and expertise (including gender leadership);
- project monitoring,evaluation, results and learning;
- analysis of risk, context and possible externalities.
- Business strength/standing (performance of the initial project and its impact on the company’s commercial status);
- matched finance (quality of proposed financing model for the new initiative (including the type and quantity of finance to be provided as matched finance);
- all applicants are expected to demonstrate how their proposal will support the following international agreements and Ireland’s international development priorities: the UN Sustainable Developments Goals; the Paris Agreement on Climate Change (climate change adaption and mitigation), A Better World (2019), particularly in reaching the furthest behind first and those at risk of being left behind; the National Plan on Business and Human Rights (2017) and the OECD’s Codes of Conduct on Responsible Business Conduct.
The AADP opens for applications annually. Submissions will only be accepted through the official AADP application form.
The application form for a full project or a feasibility study can be downloaded below. Please return the completed application form to aadp@dfa.ie before the deadline (close of business, Friday, 5 July 2024). Please monitor this website and the department's social media accounts for updates.
For any questions or queries on the application process, please contact aadp@dfa.ie
Consideration will only be given to applications that are submitted through the application form provided. All applications must demonstrate how they fulfil the Programme criteria.
Please note that applicants seeking funding for a full project must source a partner company themselves. Neither the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), nor the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) are in a position to match Irish and African companies for the purpose of this Programme.