​Happy New Year​

​Promoting responsible business in Uganda​

​Rounding off two projects​

​BIO4Africa final conference​

​Opening Zambia & Tanzania for your business​

Dear Members and Partners of Access2innovation,

Another exciting year for Access2innovation is coming to an end. Another year where we have been fortunate to work with visionary partners looking for business opportunities in East Africa. Here are some highlights from the year 2024:

• Being one of the partners in the DMDP project 'Grain Hubs for rural communities in Uganda', the Danish company Engsko A/S has secured a major order for an integrated milling system, and we now further expect several orders for both grain drying and seed cleaning and milling plants to be placed early next year.
• Also, the DGBP project, 'Irrigation for smallholder farmers in Uganda', where our role is to link the beneficiaries to financial institutions and off-takers, is progressing well.

Two projects supported by the DIBE program and facilitated by Access2innovation concluded their testing and activities in 2024:

• Danish Coffee Aps was, within just one year, able to establish a JV and a production line for concentrated Iced Espresso in Kampala.
• Soacha Aps successfully completed its testing of a bottle-refilling solution for drinking water and is now looking to commercialize the concept.
• Then in July, Gl. Buurholt Aps, a partner in the DMDP project, had a DIBE application approved for establishing a mobile seed cleaning and a milling plant in Kenya.

Three DGBP maturation projects are coming to an end by end of 2024:

• The ‘Clean Energy Drinking Water Solutions’ initiative in Kenya, where 4Life Solutions is now making a real difference in rural households by providing safe drinking water.
• ‘Green Hub Kampala – E-mobility ecosystem’ which has tested electric motorbikes in Kampala.
• 'CO2 Sequestration in the Kenyan Nut Industry' where the outcome has been so promising that all partners have agreed to apply for a full-scale project.

At the same time, the new year marks the beginning of two new projects led by Access2innovation:

• A P4G funded project in which we are partnering with GrowthAfrica, Grekkon Ltd., and Nordic Impact Funds, focusing on water resilience for smallholder farmers in Kenya.
• A CISU-funded project for smallholder aquafarmers in Northern Uganda where we are partnering with Caritas Uganda.

Further, we are negotiating a contract with aBi Development in Uganda for capacity building and transfer of technology within the horticulture, grain, and dairy sectors in Uganda, and if successful, we expect the project to start at the beginning of February.

In 2025 we also look forward to facilitating more Danish companies who are looking at entering the East African market. Keeping the Danish government's new Africa strategy in mind, this is the time to create even more opportunities for innovation and growth.

Thank you for being an essential part of our journey. Your support, collaboration, and belief in our mission inspire us every day, and we look forward to working with you in 2025.

Wishing you a happy and prosperous New Year!

Warm regards,
Henrik Anker-Ladefoged
CEO, Access2innovation

​Promoting responsible business in Uganda​

In November, Access2innovation’s Program Manager, Thomas Augustinus, visited Uganda as part of our ongoing DGBP Grundfos project ‘Enhancing irrigation to improve climate adaptation and sustain smallholder production systems in Uganda’. The visit focused on enhancing business administration capabilities as well as fostering responsible business practices for farmer cooperatives and companies in Uganda.

During his visit, Thomas facilitated training sessions on responsible business for project stakeholders, emphasizing the importance of balancing economic growth with social and environmental responsibility. The workshops were based on the principles outlined in UN Global Compact Guidelines and focused on topics related to human rights, labor, environment, and anti-corruption. These types of trainings are mandatory for projects supported by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

​Click here to read more about the visit and promotion.​

​Rounding off two projects​

In November, Access2innovation's program manager Inge Myrthue traveled to East Africa to successfully round off two PGBP maturation projects: The ‘Clean Energy Drinking Water Solutions’ initiative in Kenya and the ‘Green Hub Kampala – E-mobility Ecosystem’ which has tested electric motorbikes in Kampala.

During the trip, Inge also began the crucial evaluation phase, assessing the impact and outcomes of both initiatives. The vital step to ensure the projects meet their intended goals and provide valuable insights for future follow-up projects are expected to be finished in February 25.

The DGBP-projects are financed by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the Danida Green Business Partnerships (DGBP) program.

​Read more about the Clean Energy Drinking project here.

​Read more about the Green Hub Kampala project here.​

​BIO4Africa final conference​

The BIOSTAR 'Bioenergy for local production' workshop provides an ideal backdrop for sharing broad insights into the transformation of agricultural residues into biochar. During the workshop's first two days, BIO4Africa partners will present the results of trials with biochar and hydrochar and the potential to solve multiple sustainability challenges in sub-Saharan Africa.

On 30 January, the entire day will be dedicated to the official BIO4Africa final conference.

The BIO4Africa project was initiated to contribute to food and nutritional security and combat poverty in rural Africa through inclusive and sustainable development. To pilot these technologies, BIO4Africa has set up testing sites in Uganda, Ghana, Senegal, and Côte d’Ivoire. During the project, more than 300 farmers and farmer groups, including small dairies, lower-income farmers, women farmer groups, and transhumant pastoralists, will have the opportunity to test the technologies in realistic conditions.

​Click here to read more.​

​34 free A2i Talks on business & development in Africa​

You can always watch more than 30 free A2i Talks on business development on our website.

​Click here to find the videos​

​We open Africa for your business: Zambia & Tanzania​

Our business delegation trips always receive high praise from participants, who are consistently impressed by how much help they receive in finding exactly the contacts that can move their business forward.

“It was an excellent delegation trip—it exceeded all expectations,” said David Munk-Bogballe from the company Insectum about our delegation trip to Uganda in March 2024.

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

​Click here to read more about the Zambia trip.​

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

​Click here to read more about former trips. ​