Promising rural businesses selected for BIO4Africa programme

The business training and monitoring programme will help build sustainable companies with social and economic impact

Twenty farms, cooperatives and processing companies have been selected for the BIO4Africa business development programme, which begins this month with a series of boot camps in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Senegal and Uganda. Training, mentoring and access to financial support will help the bio-based initiatives become sustainable businesses that create revenue and new jobs.

BIO4Africa partner Barcelona Plataforma Empresarial (BPE) is leading the 21-month programme, with support from African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF).

“The programme will start with three months of training. Afterwards, we will support the companies with an 18-month management programme and potential investors and help them track key performance indicators and potential social impact,” says Belarmino Rodríguez, director at BPE.

“The main objective is to enable bio-based businesses to bring their products to market, grow their revenue and leverage the technologies developed through BIO4Africa. Job creation is a key aspect, allowing people to improve their income and stay in their rural community – specifically women and young people.”

Guide to circular business practices
The companies selected for the programme – including 14 farmer entrepreneurs and cooperatives, five processing companies and a recycling company – have all been put forward by the locally based BIO4Africa partners. Once the programme is complete, the experiences gained will be used to produce a guide to circular business practices that can support promising rural businesses in other areas.

BPE has considerable expertise in facilitating the development of sustainable, social impact companies. Part of a global network of accelerators and seed funds, BPE runs Fledge Barcelona, which, to date, has supported 91 start-ups in 26 countries in Africa and elsewhere.

The bootcamps will be held in each of the four countries during March and April 2023.

The 20 selected companies per country

Côte d’Ivoire (BIO4Africa partner: INP-HB)

  1. AGRIM SAARL
    Small company transforming raw paddy rice into end products
  2. ECOOKIM COOPERATIVE CA
    General services for 30 cooperatives
  3. PROCANSO COOPERATIVE CA
    Small cooperative producing cacao and natural rubber
  4. SOCIETÉ COOPERATIVE KAPATCHIVA
    Medium-size cooperative producing cacao, cashews and other products
  5. SOCIETÉ COOPERATIVE AGRICOLE DE ZÉGA (SOCAZE)
    Small cooperative producing cocoa

Senegal (BIO4Africa partner: UASZ)

  1. ETHICAJOU SA
    Medium-size company producing and transforming cashews
  2. GIE AGROPASTORAL
    Small company transforming raw cashew and mango into end products
  3. GIE BALANTACOUNDA
    Small company transforming raw cashew and mango into end products
  4. GIE DEMIIR
    Small company transforming raw cashew and mango into end products
  5. GIE WAARE Small company transforming raw cashew or mango into end products

Ghana (BIO4Africa partners: I-Hub and Savanet)

  1. KOBU BAMSIM FARMERS GROUP
    Small farm producing fresh vegetables and other fruits
  2. LANTUM KALANDI
    Small farmer producing soya, corn and other vegetables
  3. NASGIRI FARMS
    Small business, pig farm
  4. ROMILLA FISH FARM
    Small business, fish farm
  5. TIZAA BORA FARMERS COOPERATIVE
    Medium-size cooperative, providing general services for farmers


Uganda (BIO4Africa partner: AFAAS)

  1. AGALI FARMERS COOPERATIVE
    Small company producing fresh vegetables, soya and and other fruit
  2. HARURONGA FARMERS ACCO
    Small company producing fresh vegetables, soya and and other fruit
  3. HOPE OF CHILDREN AND WOMEN VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE
    Cooperative with a range of social programs. One focuses on developing rural farms owned by women
  4. UNITED INNOVATION DEVELOPMENT CENTER
    Small company involved in bio-based recycling business that produces pellets
  5. P'KWI FARMER TO FARMER COOPERATIVE
    Small cooperative focused on general services for farmers: producing, selling, training and tractor hire service