On the 7th and 8th of June, 2022, 2SCALE celebrated its 10th anniversary over a two-day event, graced by participants from a dozen countries in Africa, America, and Europe, at the Trademark Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya. The event was rich in activities to commemorate ten years of creating tangible impact and promoting inclusive agribusiness across sub-Saharan Africa.
A decade full of lessons learned that the main actors, namely farmers, business champions, service providers, and financial institutions were eager to share. This knowledge sharing was facilitated through panels that served as a framework to elucidate the different approaches 2SCALE has used to support agribusiness enterprises. Each session was punctuated by interactive sessions, to spur understanding and facilitate the exchange of ideas.
For instance, the panel on Innovative Financial Solutions recorded the presence of six financial institutions. It is no secret that access to finance remains a big hurdle for the agricultural sector. With this, numerous questions from the participants justified the keen interest all actors have to get a viable solution to the financing needs of small and medium agribusiness enterprises.
A key highlight of this thematic area was the impact of the Village Savings & Loans Associations(VSLAs) which have enabled smallholder farmers in various partnerships to access affordable funds to grow their businesses.
Some of the beneficiaries of the Psaltry-2SCALE partnership in Nigeria, which ran from 2012 to 2018, set up VSLAs to assist in financing their businesses. Speaking at the event, Ms Yemisi Ironloye, the CEO of Psaltry International, shared experiences on the impact VSLAs have had, particularly on women.
We’ve had over 500 farmers who have been able to get funding from banks after implementing our innovations. 2SCALE helped to stabilize their businesses. We are now looking at new strategies and how to scale up.
She remarked.
In the pilot phase, the VSLAs used traditional methods to save money. Now, they use mobile money accounts through partnerships such as Tamanaa in Ghana. The digitization of their transactions has eased access and improved security.
BoP marketing, Green Innovations, and all of 2SCALE's diverse experiences in promoting inclusive agribusiness were explained. They were illustrated by testimonies given by direct actors who have been impacted over the past 10 years.
Accelerating Youth and Gender Inclusion
The experience of smallholder sorghum producers in the Faranaya partnership in Ghana was a testament to the impact 2SCALE has had on women in agriculture. A spotlight was put on how capacity building and ease of accessing finance through VSLAs have seen some women build businesses providing commercial bullock services.
Through the partnership, we have had numerous training sessions that have increased our capacity significantly. For instance, because of livestock healthcare training, we are now able to treat minor livestock diseases in our community. This has eased the burden of having to travel far for veterinary services. In addition, through the VSLA and knowledge of existing financial institutions in our locality, I was able to acquire bullocks which I use on my farm and also lend to other female farmers at a fee. This has not only provided an economic opportunity for me but has enabled female farmers to have easy access to ploughing services,
