Visual © GIZ

The Call for Concept Notes, conducted under the Competitive Matching Grant Fund, has exceeded all expectations, registering a total of 426 concept notes. This call, which encompassed the cocoa, maize, and livestock value chains, concluded on November 10, 2023.

This impressive number of 426 concept notes originated from 42 OACPS member states, covering three regions – Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific.

The responsibility now rests with the committee of 17 experts, representing 14 OACPS member states, tasked with evaluating all submissions. The most outstanding concepts will secure financing for implementation.

In furtherance of this, a workshop took place in Cotonou, Benin, from November 17th to 24th. The Expert Committee, organized by value chain, ensured transparency and competitiveness in the selection process for MGF partners through a standardized approach for techno-economic evaluation and decision-making on concept notes and full proposals.

Each committee member received a scoring grid for evaluation, with each concept note assessed by three members. These experts, hailing from private entities, development cooperation organizations, governmental and non-governmental organizations, and research institutions, offer diverse perspectives for a fair, equitable, and transparent selection process.

Guided by considerations of gender balance and geographical coverage, experts were selected from various regions of Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific. For updates and news, please check the Agribusiness Facility webpage.

ABF4VC: Aiming for Agricultural Transformation in OACPS Member States

Launched in March 2023, ABF4VC, mandated by the EU and BMZ, is implemented by two GIZ projects: Agri-Business Facility for Africa (ABF) and Market-Oriented Value Chains for Jobs & Growth in the ECOWAS Region (MOVE). The aim is to develop and enhance the capacities of actors along agricultural value chains in OACPS member states, particularly focusing on attracting finance and investment for low-emission and climate-resilient practices and value chains.

For more details, please visit https://www.agribusiness-facility.org/.