Africa

TechnoServe, Nespresso and South Sudan have partnered to revitalize the country’s coffee industry, aiming to triple coffee incomes and improve household resilience.

The Coffee Initiative worked with local farmers in East Africa to improve agronomy and business practices, establish new coffee cooperatives and strengthen existing ones, and help cooperatives create business plans and access financing for wet mills.

"Mom and pop” shops play a critical role in developing economies around the world. In partnership with the elea Foundation and Citi Foundation, TechnoServe is working to increase the profitability of 840 high-potential shops in Nairobi, the majority of which are women-operated or women-owned.

TechnoServe was part of a cooperative agreement with US Agency for International Development and FHI 360 for the Community Based Livelihood Development for Women and Children in Swaziland.

A three-year program funded by the EU addressed food security in a holistic manner by focusing on capacity building at the household level specifically targeted improved farm and business management by program participants.

TechnoServe partnered with Montigny Investments on an Energy and Environment Partnership grant from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland to investigate the best uses for biomass available in the 55,000 hectare Forest Stewardship Council Certified Usutu Forest.

As diamond reserves in Botswana dwindle, the country's entrepreneurs are playing an increasingly leading role in creating new jobs and diversifying the economy. Tokafala, an enterprise development program, is helping entrepreneurs develop the business, financial management and marketing skills they need to build successful and sustainable businesses.

The Partners in Food Solutions (PFS)-TechnoServe Alliance matches the expertise of leading global food companies with the needs of African-based food processing companies in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia.

Substantial research highlights a critical need for business skills training among owners of "mom and pop" shops in urban areas. Launched in July 2015, the Digitizing Mom and Pop Shops program was a two-year partnership between Citi Foundation and TechnoServe to increase the financial return and growth of small retail shops in Abuja, Nigeria.

The Kenya Market Assistance Program helped to promote employment and income generation in various market systems in Kenya by addressing key constraints to growth in these sectors.