€250,000 funding opportunity by Africa Agri-food Development Programme (AADP)
Great opportunity has presented itself again, this time for entrepreneurs in Agriculture and of Africa. €250,000 funding for participating companies that are in full project and €100,000 for companies in feasibility studies
These details below will guide you on the eligibility and application process.
The Africa Agri-Food Development Program (AADP) is a joint initiative between the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Department of Foreign Affairs.
The Objective of the AADP is to develop partnerships between the Irish Agri-Food Sector and African countries to support 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.
In assessing applications, the potential for a project to contribute to reaching the Furthest Behind will be a key consideration, in line with the priorities set out in Ireland’s policy for international development, A Better World.
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 additionality.
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
Eligibility Criteria for all Applicants
Applicants
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 countries 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 countries 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;
Funding Conditions and Project Costs
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 Program’s core objectives;
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;
‘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 staffs that is 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 labor laws; and where the company cannot demonstrate clear goals and ongoing measures to address these problems.
Previously Successful Companies
Previously successful AADP applicants may apply for further AADP funding in a subsequent year and on the basis of demonstrated achievements from the initial AADP investment, including: sustainable development impact and the development of genuine partnerships with African companies.
In order for previously successful companies to be eligible for consideration by the AADP, they must have (i) fully completed their previous AADP-funded project and (ii) provided, to a satisfactory manner, all reports related to that project as required by their Funding Agreement with the AADP
Applications must explain clearly (in the application form) the new and separate project goals/outcomes associated with their new proposal and how they differ from those in the initial funding round.
Applications from previously successful AADP companies will be capped at a maximum of €250K. However, requests for funding in excess of the €250K funding cap may be considered under exceptional circumstance where a proposal shows both highly significant development impact and financial additionality.
To ensure development additionality the weighting applied to the ‘Sustainable Development Impact’ evaluation criteria will increase relative to the financial request above the initial €250K cap.
In addition to the other evaluation criteria given below, applications from returning companies will also be assessed on the following: performance of the initial project and its impact on the company’s financial status and the proposed financing model for the new initiative (including the type and quantity of finance to be matched).
Evaluation Criteria – Feasibility Study
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
Evaluation Criteria – Full Project
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
Project Monitoring and Evaluation
Analysis of risk, context and possible externalities
Additional Evaluation Criteria for Previously Successful Applicants
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)
Call for Applications
The AADP is now open for submissions. Application forms must be completed by the Irish applicant company and submitted to aadp@agriculture.gov.ie.
Please monitor this website and the Departments’ Social Media accounts for updates:
Depth of Agriculture, Food & the Marine Twitter | Depth of Foreign Affairs Twitter
Application Forms
Applications will only be accepted through the official AADP Application Forms.
To request an Application Form for a Full Project or Feasibility Study please email aadp@agriculture.gov.ie with the subject line “Application Form Request”
For more about this programme follow this link to the official website
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