About the Grant Program
Launched in February 2022, the science-driven AICCRA Zambia Accelerator Program offers a win-win solution for SMEs and investors alike – showing how science can be used to catalyze finance into climate-smart agriculture for meaningful change.
Over the last year, AICCRA and partners have worked closely with a cohort of 14 Zambian agribusinesses. These were grouped into five innovation ‘bundles’ each focused on a different value chains or challenge specific to Zambia’s agriculture: The Grants aims to a) scale research innovations and b) catalyze private finance into these agribusinesses to increase their impact considering Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI).
AICCRA Zambia in partnership with national incubators and the private sector have nurtured innovations through the provision of accelerator grants for SME’s working in CIS delivery and CSA technology scaling to de-risk scaling innovations and to enhance climate resilience of value chains, social inclusion, and sustainable use of land and water. It has also identified gender and youth vulnerability within the food system and identified potential entry points to build resilience as effected by climate change through user-centred co-design to enhance gender and social inclusion in terms of user preference to the solution as well as increase access to the solution.
When AICCRA started in 2021, we anticipated that 2023 would likely mark the final and culminating year. However, the growth trajectory of AICCRA partnerships has been extraordinary. By the end of AICCRA’s second year in 2022, we achieved significant milestones through our partnerships. The World Bank Group has recognized these accomplishments and signaled its commitment to provide additional financing to AICCRA through the Bank’s International Development Association. This extension of AICCRA’s mandate further supports our mission to build climate resilience in Africa, particularly in our project’s six focus countries: Senegal, Mali, Ghana, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Zambia.