​Green, Climate-smart, and Circular ​

​General Assembly highlights a year of growth and new partnerships​

​Mapping new opportunities for innovation in Uganda​

​The 2026 A2i Board​

​Green, Climate-smart, and Circular ​

On Friday, 28 August 2026, Access2Innovation convened the GRASP Landscape Study Validation Workshop at the Golden Tulip in Kampala. The objective of the day was to gather expert feedback, strengthen ownership of the findings, and prepare the report ahead of its announcement at the EU-Uganda Business Forum.

The workshop drew participants from the Royal Danish Embassy, aBi Development, government (including the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries and the National Agriculture Research Organisation), the Uganda Development Bank, the external sector consultants, and the Access2Innovation team.

The day brought stakeholders together to review and validate the landscape study conducted under the Green Technology Transfer Fund (GTTF), part of aBi Development's Green Agrifood Systems Programme with support from the Royal Danish Embassy. The study maps where European and Danish green technology can partner with Ugandan enterprises to add value, reduce emissions, and create jobs.

“The GTTF will put up a clear call to match Ugandan market opportunities with proven European and Danish green technology. We hold green and inclusive growth, climate-smart technology, and the circular economy as the running themes, with attention to opportunities for youth and women,“ says William J. Nyakatura, Program Manager, A2i. He adds:

“Businesses that are selected through a catalytic investment unlock and de-risk bigger deals with other financing landscape actors. GTTF, aBi Dev, and DRE focus on cross-cutting priorities like credible data, certification, and food-safety standards, and value addition in the effort to increase investments in Uganda.”

​General Assembly highlights a year of growth and new partnerships​

Access2innovation’s General Assembly brought together 20 participants from companies, NGOs, and educational institutions for a look back at an active 2025 and an update on projects, partnerships, and the network’s continued development.

At the General Assembly, Access2innovation’s chair of the board Henrik Wollesen welcomed everybody and presented the organization’s network activities throughout 2025. The year included three successful delegation trips to Zimbabwe, Kenya, and Tanzania, four A2i Talks and participation at the Harvest Money Show in Kampala, where more than 12 Danish companies were represented.

Expanding the network

Access2innovation has also strengthened its presence in Africa. In addition to the staff in Denmark, the organization now has a team of four people in Kampala, a country representative in Uganda, John Magnay, as well as representatives in two new countries: Rwanda and Tanzania.

The growing local presence supports A2i’s work with companies, organizations, and partners across the region and creates a stronger foundation for developing and implementing new projects.

Positive results from two completed projects and more coming

In 2025, two projects in Kenya ended. The Pyrolysis Project was completed in March with very positive results, while the Solar Water Purification Project ended in February.

In 2026, two further projects have been completed, both with good results: the Aqua (CISU) project and the P4G water project in Kenya. Read more about the Aqua (CISU)-project in the next A2i Newsletter.

New projects on the horizon

A2i has now started implementing the Green Technology Transfer Fund project with aBi Development in Uganda. This project runs for 24 months and combines technology transfer and capacity building with the mobilization of additional co-financing to scale up the initiative. Based on an initial mapping of the agricultural sectors, the project will identify 4–6 business cases that can support the green transition in Uganda. The total project value is approximately DKK 20 million.

An upcoming initiative is a SPA project in a consortium with L&F and Caritas Denmark as the lead partner. The project is scheduled to start in January 2027. A SPA program focuses on strengthening civil society, but for the first time a business component has been included in project activities on the request from Access2innovation, and for this part of the project the consortium hopes to secure DKK six million in total per year across three countries.

Continued Collaboration

With a growing network, an expanding presence in Africa, and a strong pipeline of projects, Access2innovation holds on to its role as the Danish platform for the transfer of innovative solutions to the East African market in collaboration with Danish and African companies, NGOs, and knowledge institutions.

34 guests at Tour de Danish Coffee

After the General Assembly and a lunch brimming with dialogue, Lars Bendix, the CEO of Danish Coffee Ltd., who has worked for the past 20 years with importing and processing coffee from Uganda, presented the company and shared its experiences from Uganda. Two years ago, the company established a joint venture in Kampala to produce and market newly developed coffee products. A delegation of 14 business executives from Rotary Kampala joined us for the tour and presentation.

​Mapping new opportunities for innovation in Uganda​

This summer, Access2innovation, together with aBi Development, presented progress on the GRASP Landscape Mapping at a joint review meeting with the Embassy, funded by the European Union Delegation to Uganda and Denmark.

The mapping has identified 10 value chains across food processing, horticulture, agriculture, and aquaculture with strong potential for future engagement with Danish and European technologies.

The insights will help identify new business opportunities and support sustainable innovation across these sectors – creating a stronger foundation for future collaboration and impactful solutions in Uganda.

Access2innovation looks forward to the final results and to exploring how the mapping can help turn opportunities into partnerships and business.

​The 2026 A2i Board​

During the general assembly Access2innovation elected 2 new members to its new board. Henrik Wollesen from Engsko Ltd. and Peter Mackie Kjær from the University of Copenhagen (KU) ended their 2-year period. Henrik Wollesen was re-elected for another 2-year period, while Peter Mackie Kjær was replaced with Arne Remmen from Aalborg University. The remaining board members, elected for the 2025–2027 period, are Ulla Balle from DanChurchAid, Henrik Mahaini from Intertec Ltd., and Ole Haubro from Aller Aqua Ltd.

The 2026 board:

Henrik Wollesen (2026-2028)

Arne Remmen, Aalborg University (2026-2028)

Ole Haubro, Aller Aqua Ltd. (2025-2027)

Ulla Balle, DCA (2025-2027)

Henrik Mahaini, InterTech Ltd. (2025-2027)

The new board will constitute itself following the General Assembly.

Alternates:

Søren Jeppesen, CBS (2025-2027)

Lotte N. Jørgensen, Caritas (2026-2028)

Peter Mackie Kjær, KU (2026-2028)