​Grundfos project leader: "Collectiveness is Key"​

​Do you need help for a "real-world problem?"​

​Welcome to three new members

​Meet Mette Johnson, our new project coordinator​

​Let us open Tanzania for your business​

The leader of our Grundfos & Akvo International project:

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"Collectiveness is Key"

Our project, together with Grundfos and Akvo International, helps small Ugandan farmers find the proper irrigation solutions, ensuring improvements for their farms. The project has been running effectively for about a year. It is called Enhancing Irrigation to Improve Climate Adaptation and Sustain Smallholder Production Systems in Uganda.

“Collectiveness is key to this project. Nobody can do it alone. The need and the market are here, and both are growing rapidly due to climate change. We see huge market potential among small Ugandan coffee farmers. Quality solar-powered irrigation improves harvests and extends growing seasons," says Ronald Schuurhuizen, Partnerships Development Manager at Grundfos and leader of the DGBP project.

The first three irrigation demonstration units have just been installed—or are in the process of being installed—in Uganda.

Danish Ambassador Attends Demonstration in Buganda Kingdom​
One of the demonstration units is located in the Buganda Kingdom, a central part of Uganda. To initiate this partnership, one of the project partners, Akvo, collaborated with the Buganda Kingdom’s Strategic Planning Unit to propose installing a demo irrigation system.

The installation was supervised, and the commissioning was attended by Signe Winding Albjerg, the Danish Ambassador to Uganda, whose involvement highlighted the global importance of sustainable agricultural solutions.

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Value-Driven but Commercially Minded​
The cost of solar-powered irrigation systems starts at $5,000 and can increase significantly, depending on the farm's size and conditions. Only about 5% of the cost is for the pump; the rest covers counselling, digging wells, installing storage tanks, tubing, filters, and solar panels.

But why does a global company like Grundfos engage in and lead this project?

“Grundfos is a foundation-run company guided by our founder’s values. We aim to do more than just generate profit. While our pumps aren’t the primary driver of impact, our commitment to sustainability is real. In 2023, we provided basic water access to 2 million people through NGO partnerships and 5 million through standard operations,” explains Schuurhuizen.

“The need for irrigation in this region is only going to increase. But also, it’s not bad that as we establish a presence in Uganda’s irrigation sector. We may gain a reputation and open doors to the country’s broader water sector. I also hope we can eventually produce our technology here, creating jobs in the Ugandan industry. If that happens, the project will have truly succeeded.”

Welcome to three new members

We are happy to announce that already three news members have joined our network this year. The first is Ole Larsen, who is a private member. The others are companies CT Technologies and Seruwagi Solutions. Welcome to all of you!

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• ​CT Technologies specializes in the design and supply of materials and equipment for the insulation of cold stores and food processing plants.
• ​Seruwagi Solutions is a family-owned business founded by Derrick Seruwagi in 2018, whose goal is clear: to bring Uganda's exquisite vanilla to the global market.

Help for a "real-world problem"?

Our member, DTU, is looking for four Challenge Partners that propose real-world problems for 25 interdisciplinary student teams to solve.

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​Each year, DTU OpenInnovation collaborates with 3-4 organizations to present real-world challenges that fuel innovation and creative problem-solving. As a Challenge Partner, your organization will play a pivotal role by defining the challenge and mentoring interdisciplinary student teams as they develop innovative solutions. For each challenge, five teams—comprising 25 talented students—work together to address the challenge, bringing diverse perspectives and fresh ideas to the table.

Are you interested in becoming a Challenge Partner? Contact Sally Gregersen, stegr@dtu.dk.

​Click to learn more.​

Meet Mette, a new face in A2i

We are happy to introduce Mette Skindhøj Johnson, our new project coordinator in Access2innovation.

Mette has a rich international background that began with her birth in Jos, Nigeria. A global citizen at heart, Mette has lived in multiple countries, including 11 years in the United States, 12 years in Singapore, and extensive periods in Africa across Nigeria, Cameroon, and the Central African Republic. Mette recently settled in Denmark after spending two years on a leadership capacity-building project in the Central African Republic.

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​Free Talks on business & development in Africa​

Remember, you can always watch more than 30 free A2i Talks on business development on our website. The latest one is with Mathilde Byskov, Special Advisor, Green Diplomacy and Climate by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She talks about boosting trade relations between Denmark and the African continent with a focus on value chains and sustainable transition.

​Click here to find the videos​

​We open Tanzania for ​your business

You can still make it and join our next delegation trip:

The Danish Agriculture & Food Council, in partnership with Access2innovation, is pleased to invite your company to participate in this 2025 agro-business delegation to Tanzania in February 2025.

​Click here to read more about the Tanzania delegation trip.​

​Click here to read more about our former delegation trips. ​

Want extra reach at LinkedIn?

Every week, Access2innovation shares some of our member's great posts on LinkedIn. If you want extra reach for your stories, tag us or send a hint about the post to Marianne Andersen at LinkedIn or by mail: ma@access2innovation.com.

We are looking forward to sharing your news!

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