Year 4 Work Plan for Agribusiness Investment Activity

AID-72062019-C-00001. The program aims to strengthen the business enabling environment to promote private sector investment in agriculture. The Activity works to achieve this goal through four interrelated components: improving ease of doing business in the agricultural sector, broadening access to finance, promoting investment opportunities for agribusinesses, and improving the organizational performance of agribusiness lead firms. The program focuses on seven focal states and five value chains, engaging with a wide range of industry stakeholders, including input suppliers, producers, aggregators, processors, financiers, investors, and other service providers. To date, the Activity has signed Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with 160 private and public sector organizations to assist them in realizing their individual growth objectives. The Activity recognizes that each firm pursues its own business model and requires customized support, rather than engaging with them through a one-size-fits-all approach. In FY21, the Activity strengthened business practices and deepened relationships between buyers (aggregators and processors) and suppliers (producers), expanding awareness of and access to working capital for agribusinesses, fostering a more conducive and inclusive enabling environment, and building capacity in basic business practices as well as Good Agricultural Practices (GAP). The Activity continues to operate in an environment with several constraints, including the COVID-19 pandemic and insecurity in Nigeria, which have impacted the ability to do business. The program's overall approach is to work directly with regulators, financial institutions, and existing private sector agribusiness to support their efforts to connect agribusinesses with the financing they require to scale innovation and drive sustainable growth. The Activity engages with a wide range of industry stakeholders to achieve this objective, recognizing that each firm requires customized support to pursue its individual growth objectives. The Agribusiness Investment Activity in Nigeria is committed to increasing the quality, quantity, market access, diversification, and competitiveness of the Nigerian agribusiness sector. The program's efforts will contribute to the growth of the non-oil-based economy in Nigeria, in line with commitments made by the U.S. Government and Nigerian Government. The Activity's work will focus on improving the business enabling environment, broadening access to finance, promoting investment opportunities for agribusinesses, and improving the organizational performance of agribusiness lead firms. The program's geographic focus is on seven focal states in Nigeria, and its value chains include maize, rice, soybean, cowpea, and cassava. The Activity's work will be implemented through a range of activities, including policy and regulatory reform, training and capacity building, and business development services. The program's implementation will be monitored and evaluated through a range of indicators, including the number of private and public sector organizations engaged, the number of agribusinesses connected to financing, and the impact on the Nigerian agribusiness sector. The Agribusiness Investment Activity in Nigeria is a critical component of the USAID Feed the Future Nigeria program, which aims to improve agricultural productivity and income for smallholder farmers in Nigeria. The Activity's work will contribute to the achievement of the program's overall goal of reducing poverty and improving food security in Nigeria.