Partners in Food Solutions  unveils 5-year $7.6m grant to boost local food processing in Africa 

Business a.m

Partners in Food Solutions (PFS), a nonprofit consortium that provides technical assistance to food processors in Africa, has been awarded a five-year, $7.6 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support high-potential, entrepreneurial food companies in East and West African horticultural and rice value chains, and to develop rice fortification capacity in Nigeria.

This new grant will allow the consortium of world-class companies, including General Mills, Cargill, DSM-Firmenich, Bühler, The Hershey Company, Ardent Mills and The J.M. Smucker Company, to continue its mission of building local food processing capacity in Africa. The consortium will focus its efforts on supporting high-potential food companies in East and West Africa, as well as developing rice fortification capacity in Nigeria.

With the new grant funding, PFS will be able to significantly expand its work with high-potential African food processing companies. Through its network of employee volunteers from seven corporate partner companies, PFS will provide technical and business expertise to address food safety and quality, improve business practices, and help these African processors grow and succeed. PFS also works to connect its clients to cheaper sources of capital, business development services, and international food quality and safety certifications. These efforts are critical to helping Africa build a sustainable and self-sufficient food industry.

The funding is also expected to help PFS expand its focus on the rice value chain in West Africa, working to improve the capacity of local millers in Senegal, Burkina Faso and Sierra Leone. The goal is to reduce the region’s reliance on imported rice and promote local growth and processing. In addition, PFS will look for opportunities to expand its work to other countries in the region.

In addition to its existing programs in Nigeria, PFS said it will also pilot a two-year rice fortification project. This project aims to develop technical capacity for rice fortification, which has the potential to prevent micronutrient deficiency in the local population. 

According to the consortium, children are especially at risk for deficiencies that can cause stunted growth and cognitive impairment. The pilot project, it stated, will train and equip local rice millers to successfully blend fortified rice kernels from PFS partner DSM-Firmenich with local rice. Afterwards,the fortified rice will be distributed to school children through the World Food Programme and GAIN.

In East Africa, PFS will continue to support the horticultural value chain, with a specific focus on five countries and five key crops. A recent study commissioned by the foundation identified key opportunities for the horticulture sector in the region, and PFS stated that it will focus on crops that have high potential for growth and impact. In Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, and Tanzania, and support avocado processors. In Tanzania and Uganda, PFS will support onion processors by working to increase production, improve processing methods, and strengthen marketing and distribution systems. In Kenya, PFS will work with Irish potato processors to improve quality and safety standards, enhance processing technology, and expand market access.

Jeff Dykstra, the co-founder and CEO of PFS, commented on the initiative, stating that unlocking the true potential of local food processing in Africa will not only help feed a growing population, it will also sow the seeds of sustainable development by creating jobs, lessening reliance on imports and improving food security.

“The support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is a significant opportunity for Partners in food solutions to expand our work and an important validation in our business-to-business model of sharing food processing and business expertise globally,” he added.