The CFC has resumed project visits

After almost two years of travel hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re excited to have resumed on-site visits! In the past couple of months, CFC staff members have been travelling to visit project counterparts to get an insider perspective on the development of operations and the impact on the ground, as well as to explore potential investments. Here’s a brief overview of some of the field visits and their outcomes:

Kenya, April

In April, CFC Project Manager Sonja Timmer travelled to Kenya to visit four companies – both current and potential new investees. As such, she met with an avocado-processing company – a long-standing partner of the CFC – for the first time after two years, providing in-depth updates and ways forward. A first in-person meeting was held with management of a female-led macadamia business in Nairobi. Following a small signing ceremony, Sonja and CFC’s Technical Assistance facility partner visited the processing factory and the envisaged new location of macadamia oil processing plant and nursery.

Several new collaborations were explored, such as with an agri-technology company providing insured input packages on credit to subsistence farmers across the country. Meetings were held with other agricultural impact lenders to discuss commodity and value chain developments, co-financing partnerships, and to align on a course of action on agribusinesses facing (post-pandemic) opportunities or challenges.

Nigeria, April

The AATIF Technical Assistance Facility (TAF) Manager travelled to Lagos, Nigeria, in April to meet with companies currently receiving TA support. Specifically, they met with an oilseed exporter to discuss how our joint efforts could help it advance its current sourcing practices from smallholder farmers. They also met two commercial banks, one of which discussed the digitalization of parts of their Social and Environmental Management System through an integrated “ESG monitoring and reporting platform”.

Beyond strengthening relationships with current partners, this trip helped explore new areas of TA support, such as identifying and contracting experts for value chain analyses for new value chains of interest to the companies. Also, this visit was an opportunity for the AATIF TAF Manager to present the operations of the CFC’s TAF to potential AATIF partner companies, assessing together how TA can help enhance the developmental impact of these companies.

Zambia, June

In addition, the TAF Manager recently travelled to Zambia to meet with another four existing AATIF investee companies, three of which are agricultural processors based in Lusaka and one of which is a large-scale commercial wheat and soybean farm based north of Lusaka. During the trip, discussions focused on ongoing TA support and how the TA Facility may support the companies further. As a result, the TAF Manager has a strong and diverse pipeline of possible TA projects including a feasibility study of new value chains for product line expansion; support for upscaling a cotton outgrower scheme; environmental, health and safety (EHS) capacity development for staff, and a pilot study for developing a carbon credit scheme. The TAF Manager was also able to see first-hand how previously implemented TA projects were still supporting the companies and surrounding communities today. One such example is a community development project undertaken ten years ago involving the expansion of a primary school to support children of the commercial farm employees.

The CFC has successfully sustained its operations and relationships with current and new counterparts, yet there is no doubt that resuming travel allows for stronger ties with the counterparts and better insights on the impact achieved. Looking ahead, we are excited to continue travelling this year to meet other investees and explore new opportunities! We consider filed visits a matter of utmost importance not only to coordinate our investments and impacts, also to feel the pulse of the very smallholders and SMEs that we work with.

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