The Food Systems Countdown Initiative Policy Report 2024

The Food Systems Countdown Initiative Policy Report 2024

- 14/01/2025

Food systems are a foundation of human and planetary well-being and central to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Yet they also contribute to ill health, inequity, environmental degradation, and greenhouse gas emissions. These challenges demand urgent food systems transformation. Such a transformation requires understanding the status of food systems across their diverse functions.
Insights into Global Trade

Leveraging WTO rules to tackle malnutrition

The benefits of trade are often viewed in economic terms, but its human impact — on malnutrition in particular — cannot be ignored. Malnutrition stunts development, weakens immunity, and deteriorates bone and muscle health.
Incofin & GAIN propel nutritious foods fund with new investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

Incofin & GAIN propel nutritious foods fund with new investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

Incofin Investment Management, alongside the Nutritious Foods Financing Facility (N3F) partners, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), USAID, and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), announces two new investments to enhance food security and nutrition in Sub-Saharan Africa. These investments, totaling USD 1.55 million, underscore N3F’s active deployment in the region. The fund has invested over USD 4 million within its first year of operation.
Incofin & GAIN’s Nutritious Foods Fund Announces First Investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

Incofin & GAIN’s Nutritious Foods Fund Announces First Investments in Sub-Saharan Africa

Incofin Investment Management announces the first three investments made through the new Nutritious Foods Financing Facility (N3F), launched earlier this year. Each selected company has received debt financing in the range of USD 0.5 million – USD 1 million to scale up their production, increasing their capacity to supply lower-income local households in Sub-Saharan Africa with nutritious food. Further, they will each be supported with tailored technical assistance managed by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN).

 

GAIN’s NIS Project uses a Market Systems Development approach to improve food systems and increase inclusivity and nutrition outcomes. It leverages the extensive experience GAIN has developed over the years of providing quality technical assistance, networking, knowledge sharing, building partner capacity, and providing various tools and resources to MSMEs to attach a ‘nutrition lens’ to the work of ESOs in Nigeria, Benin, Uganda, Ethiopia, Mozambique, and Kenya. 

 

By engaging with ESOs, the project ultimately achieves the following outcomes:

Nutrition lens icon

ESOs adopt a nutrition lens in their MSME support strategies.

GAIN tools and resources icon

ESOs integrate tools, knowledge, and resources developed by GAIN to support MSMEs.

Food systems impact icon

ESOs understand the impact of MSMEs on food systems and how to invest in nutrition-focused enterprises.

Local alliances icon

Alliances of local partners on MSME programming will be operational in GAIN countries.

 

We will achieve these outcomes by implementing the following key approaches:

Capacity building icon

Enhancing the capacity of ESOs to provide nutrition-focused technical support to MSMEs.

Access to tools icon

Facilitating ESOs to access a wide range of tools and resources.

Knowledge exchange icon

Creating alliances by connecting ESOs to industry peers to facilitate knowledge exchange.

Mentorship network icon

Providing access to a network of business & industry leaders for business-to-business mentorship.

Countries AND ESO Partners

We are actively working on projects in the following countries:

Ikore International

Incorporated in 2018, Ikore is an International Development Organization offering innovative solutions to promote sustainable social and enterprise development across Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Expected Outcomes

Support 150 MSMEs to:

  • Enhance efficiency, leadership, and management skills through specialized training.
  • Facilitate direct connections with buyers (e.g., supermarkets, hotels, distributors).
  • Improve broader market access which will lead to a 10% and 20% sales increase in year 1 and 2.
  • Prepare them for financial literacy and matchmaking, with access to debt and non-debt funding.
  • Boost production of safe, nutritious foods by 30%, achieving 15% product volume growth in year 1 and 30% in year 2. 

Inspire Decisions

Incorporated in 2016, Inspire Decisions Consulting Limited (IDC) is a rapidly growing development firm that supports international donors, donor-funded projects, and public and private sector organisations in achieving their development goals and performance targets. 

Expected Outcomes

  • 20% annual increase in the volume and sales of specific nutritious food products.  
  • Integrating a nutrition focus into the business models of over 100 MSMEs.
  • Reach over 1,000 MSMEs, partners, and low-middle-income Nigerians through EPIC's knowledge-sharing activities.
  • Increase over US$20,000 investments in funding for production capacities allocated for MSMEs to nutrition-focused business models

Nakuru Box

Nakuru Box, founded in 2019, is an innovation hub that provides a collaborative and professional space for entrepreneurs, freelancers, and startups.  

Expected Outcomes

  • Increase in sales among the trained MSMEs.
  • Attain a 70% increase in safe and nutritious foods in the markets served by the participants.
  • Increase enrolment in the additional nutrition programs introduced.
  • Support 30% of the participants expand operations into other markets.

Afriscope

Afriscope Research Limited, founded in 2015, is a leading Afrocentric institution dedicated to helping small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) thrive through specialized business advisory services. 

Expected Outcomes

  • Directly impact 150 MSMEs producing nutritious foods.
  • De-risk 5 Lead Firms for bankability.
  • Sustainable production of 621 tonnes of nutritious foods within 12 months.
  • Provide grant support to 5 MSMEs to help them facilitate the inclusive contract farming (ICF) model. 

Gapi Sociedade de Investimentos (Gapi-SI)

Gapi-SI is a Development Financial Institution (DFI) registered with the Bank of Mozambique under the Investment Company (SI) category, with over three decades of experience in development financing

Expected Outcomes

  • Support 1,080 youth entrepreneurs in 12 districts (Niassa, Cabo Delgado, Nampula) through 9 business incubation cycles over 48 months.
  • Train and mentor 150 agrifood SMEs to adopt sustainable, nutrition-sensitive, and food safety-compliant practices across five value chains: fruits & vegetables, dairy, fish, poultry, and fortified staple foods.
  • Facilitate a 30% increase in production and sales of nutritious foods among supported SMEs.
  • Enable 60 SMEs to access financing (grants, credit, equity), unlocking USD 2 million in growth capital.
  • Achieve 20% sales growth across SMEs by year 2, supported by over 50 new market and distribution linkages.
  • Launch a Digital Nutrition Information Channel providing AI-powered, multilingual dietary and business guidance to rural communities and SMEs.
  • Ensure 60% of supported SMEs meet improved food safety standards, including HACCP and quality certifications.
  • Create at least 200 new jobs, with intentional inclusion of youth and women.
  • Promote knowledge exchange, post-incubation mentorship, and cross-SME learning forums to embed sustainability and continuous improvement 

AfriscopeI nstituto para a Promoção das Pequenas e Médias Empresas (IPEME)

The Instituto para a Promoção das Pequenas e Médias Empresas (IPEME) is a Mozambican public institution established in 2008 under the Ministry of Industry and Commerce to support the growth and development of small enterprises.  
 

Expected Outcomes

  • 80 MSMEs trained in nutrition, business strategies, and financial management.
  • Improved production of safe and nutritious foods.
  • MSMEs are equipped with business models that they can use to reach lower consumers with safe and nutritious foods. 

Groupe REPONSE

Groupe REPONSE is a consulting firm founded in 2021. It specialises in business affairs, organisation, quality management, and food safety. Based in Benin and operating independently, it focuses on implementing progress-driven approaches to sustainably improve the quality and performance of individuals and organisations.

Expected Outcomes

  • Support 35 MSMEs to improve the formulation, nutritional analysis, packaging, and profitability of their products.
  • Obtain authorisation for market entry of their products, including Authorisation de Mise sur le Marché (AMM) and Certification de Qualité.
  • Gain access to markets and sell their products with the support of 3 MSMEs specialised in local product distribution.

Université d'Abomey-Calavi

Founded in 1961, the Université d'Abomey-Calavi (UAC) is Benin's first and largest public university. UAC's primary missions include training executives, conducting scientific research, and contributing to the country's economic development.

Expected Outcomes

  • A comprehensive toolbox to raise awareness of food and nutritional security is made available to MSMEs and ESOs.
  • 30 MSMEs are trained, with 10 receiving targeted support for product development and market access.
  • MSMEs overcome technical challenges and gain access to markets for nutritious and safe products.

African Women Agri-business Network (AWAN)

AWAN is a membership organisation that focuses on advancing the socio-economic status of women through the promotion of a gender-inclusive Agri-food value chain. The organisation has 300 members, all women entrepreneurs operating in agri-food value chains.

Partnership Areas

  • Capacity Building
  • Access to Finance
  • Access to Market
  • Social Behaviour Change & Communication Campaign
  • Policy and Advocacy

Expected Outcomes

  • 200 women-owned MSMEs adopt nutrition-sensitive business models.
  • 20% increase in production of nutritious foods by women-owned MSMEs by August 2026.
  • 20% increase in sales volumes of nutritious food by women-owned MSMEs by August 2026.
  • 200 women-owned MSMEs access financial and non-financial business development services in Uganda.

Community Women's Enterprise Network Uganda (CWEN)

Founded in 2014, CWEN is a non-profit organisation that provides business information, mentorship, and technical support. It leverages partnerships and linkages for rural and urban youth and women entrepreneurs in Uganda to reach greater markets, create growing revenues, and promote their businesses with a focus on value addition and skills development.

Expected Outcomes

  • Train at least 85% of youth and women-led MSMEs to adopt new nutritional product knowledge, practices, and sustainable production methods in their operations.
  • At least 30% of the trained Youth and Women MSMEs will acquire UNBS (Uganda National Bureau of Standards) Quality Mark certification for their nutritious food products by the end of the project.
  • Increased rate of trained MSMEs reporting growth in sales and market share for their food products.
  • Adoption of eco-friendly packaging materials by trained MSMEs.

Coming Soon

ESO Resources & Assets

ESO Related Videos

Uganda: Nutrition Impact at Scale (NIS) Project / Kampala Cohort

Mozambique: Programa NIS impulsiona segurança alimentar e nutrição em Moçambique - 

Nutrition Impact at Scale Profile and Publications

Nutrition Impact at Scale Profile
Download (12.1 MB)
GAIN Convening Paper n°11
Download (3.9 MB)

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Daisy Otieno

Daisy Otieno

Project Coordinator, Nutrition Impact at Scale, GAIN

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