Apply Now: Africa Agri-food Development Programme

Grant Types

• Feasibility Study grants
  • The Feasibility Study grant is open to applications from Irish private sector organisations and from eligible African countries, for projects which seek to explore commercial concepts and market opportunities that can contribute to the sustainable transformation and development of Africa’s agri-food system.
  • Applications for Feasibility Studies will be accepted for solo projects (i.e. to be delivered by a single organisation) or for projects to be delivered in partnership between two organisations.
• Full Commercial Project grants
  • The Full Commercial Project grant is open to joint, partnership-based applications from Irish and African private sector organisations, for innovative, scalable and impactful revenue-generating projects. The aim of the full project grant is to support the sustainable transformation and development of Africa’s agri-food system, and to contribute to a programme of mutual trade and exchange of knowledge between Ireland and Africa.
  • Applications for Full Commercial Projects must be developed jointly by the African and Irish applicants in the partnership.

Ineligible Funding

• AADP funds cannot be used to fund the manufacture, development or sale of weapons, tobacco, alcohol or gambling activities
• AADP funds cannot be used to support the production of fossil fuels
• AADP funds cannot be used to support activities that contribute to deforestation (i.e. the conversion of a forest to another land use through the long-term reduction of tree canopy cover to below the minimum 10% threshold), 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 labour laws; and where the company cannot demonstrate clear goals and ongoing measures to address these problems
• AADP funds will not support projects which involve the permanent indoor housing or caging of livestock, or low-welfare practices with regard to animal husbandry, slaughter and transport
• AADP funds cannot be used for any capital expenditure in Ireland without additional prior written approval

Type of Business

• All applicants must be agri-food businesses that have been registered/incorporated in Ireland or one of the 19 eligible African countries, for at least 24 months prior to submitting their AADP application.
  • Businesses can be of any size or structure, including:
    • Micro enterprises
    • SMEs
    • Companies
    • Sole traders
    • Cooperatives
    • Farming groups
    • Partnerships
    • Social enterprises
    • Registered commercial farming networks
    • Any other structure
• Eligible African countries
  • The eligible African countries are:
    • Botswana
    • Cóte d’Ivoire
    • Ethiopia
    • Ghana
    • Kenya
    • Lesotho
    • Liberia
    • Namibia
    • Nigeria
    • Malawi
    • Mozambique
    • Rwanda
    • Senegal
    • Sierra Leone
    • South Africa
    • Tanzania
    • Uganda
    • Zambia
    • Zimbabwe

Eligibility Criteria

• All proposals must:
  • Be commercial in nature
  • Be implemented in one or more of the 19 eligible African countries
  • Explain clearly why public funds are essential to finance the initiative, including to leverage or access other sources of finance in future
  • Show why the applicant or applicants are well suited to deliver on the proposed project, with reference to their experience, knowledge and skills, and how these relate to the project objectives, activities and deliverables
  • Demonstrate that all applicants have appropriate governance, financial management and fraud prevention systems in place
  • Demonstrate how the project intends to share, develop and/or leverage mutual expertise between Ireland and Africa in the specific project area
  • Indicate how the project intends to generate or strengthen mutual trade between Ireland and Africa.

For more information, visit gov.ie.