Danida Approval of the UniBRAIN Implementation Phase

From the Executive Director of FARA to All Stakeholders in African Agribusiness

I am pleased to inform you that the Board of Danida, at its meeting on the 7th of December 2011, approved the Implementation  Phase of the Universities, Business and Research in Agricultural INnovation (UniBRAIN) initiative.

I take this opportunity to express the thanks of all UniBRAIN stakeholders to the Government of Denmark and in particular the Board and staff of Danida for their confidence in us. We appreciate that, particularly in these difficult times, this is very generous support for Africa's development.

I also thank the UniBRAIN Partners, members, of the UniBRAIN Agribusiness Innovation Incubator Consortia (AIIC) and their prospective incubatees and clients, members of the UniBRAIN Steering Committee, members of the UniBRAIN Independent Grants Committee, our Danish colleagues and many other institutions and individuals across and out of Africa who have contributed  in so many ways to the success of the Inception and Start-up Phases.

Danida's approval has given us a unique opportunity to serve Africa, and indeed the world, by raising the competitiveness for Africa's foremost and most diverse industry. I cannot think of any greater ormore worthwhile challenge.

I wish all stakeholders every success and promise FARA's full support.

End

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The 6 UniBRAIN Agribusiness Innovation Incubator Consortia

AgBIT Agribusiness Incubator

The Agri-Business Incubation Trust (AgBIT) is a consortium of Zambian institutions that was established with the overall goal of commercializing the local agribusiness industry in Zambia and increasing its competitiveness by fostering business innovations and incubating nascent and growth-oriented ventures in the sector. The consortium is a public-private partnership comprised of the six members that include Frontier Development Associates as the Lead Institution, the University of Zambia, Mulungushi University, Natural Resources Development College, Kasisi Agricultural Training Centre and the National Institute for Scientific and Industrial Research.

Read more on UniBRAIN AgBIT

CAF Agribusiness Incubator

The Agro-Forestry Innovation Centre (CAF) project is establishing an agricultural innovation incubator with the objective of creating a new vision within Malian agriculture that will serve as a catalyst in engaging the public and private sectors in dynamic and innovative agricultural initiatives. By stimulating entrepreneurial innovation of productive and organisational practices through the systematic nurturing of activities across a variety of agro-based value chains. The CAF agro-business incubator will be the primarily means of facilitating enterprise creation and development in conjunction with consortium members.

Read more UniBRAIN CAF

CURAD Agribusiness Incubator

The Consortium for Enhancing University Responsiveness to Agribusiness Development (CURAD) is a public-private partnership initiative promoted by Makerere University, the National Union of Coffee Agribusinesses and Farm Enterprises (NUCAFE), Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA), and National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO), the University of Copenhagen (UC) and NIRAS International. This is an agribusiness innovation incubator with the aim of boosting development of jobs and revenue within the  coffee sector in Uganda.  The target group is young women and men with an entrepreneurial mind-set and a wish to start up own business. CURAD will use a value chains approach and look for options for innovations and business opportunities within all parts of the different coffee value chains from producer to consumer. 

Read more on UniBRAIN CURAD

CCLEAr Consort Agribusiness Incubator

Creating Competitive Livestock-bias Entrepreneur in Agribusiness Consortium (CCLEAr Consort) is a public-private agribusiness incubator consortium jointly owned by Council for Scientific and Industrial Research-Animal Research Institute (CSIR-ARI), University of Ghana, Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Heifer International (NGO), and Humberg Farms (a private farm). The incubator is poised to be a leading centre for the development, innovation and commercialization of livestock-based technologies within a public-private partnership environment. It is aimed at creating competitive livestock-bias entrepreneurs in agribusiness in Ghana.

Read more on UniBRAIN CCLEAr

IDBPA Agribusiness Incubator

The Incubation and Diversification of Banana Products for Agribusiness (IDBPA) consortium aims to upscale innovations and improve entrepreneurial skills in banana production- to – marketing value chains with emphasis on capacity building for increased production, development of SME’s, training in entrepreneurship and agribusiness at B.Sc. and M.Sc. levels, linking of research innovations to agribusiness, and marketing of banana and its value added products including disease-free seedlongs,fresh peeled and vacuum sealed bananas,vinegar,banana wine,enriched animal feeds,biogas,charcoal briquettes, biodegradable bags and textile fibre materials.

This will be achieved through training and mentoring, identification and/or development of viable research innovations and linkage to agribusiness, information generation and dissemination, community mobilization and market linkages, provision of business services to Incubatee SMEs, setting up a consortium comprising membership from Universities, Research Institutions, Private Sector Companies and Government Support Agencies. The consortium is led by Kyambogo University with the following as members; Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Excel Hort Consult Ltd, FREVASEMA, Uganda Industrial Research Institute, Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, Uganda Carbon Bureau and Adaptive Seed Company.

Read more on UniBRAIN IDBPA

SVCDC Agribusiness Incubator

The Sorghum Value-Chain Development Consortium is an agribusiness incubator hosted at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) but run autonomously in collaboration with public-private partnerships to spur economic growth through training, research and innovation for development. The partnership comprises of JKUAT, Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI), International Crops Research Institute for the Semi Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Pipal, Agritrace and Farming Support International (FASI). The incubator targets poor rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa particularly Kenya. The main purpose of the SVDC is to stimulate agribusiness partnerships to enhance commercialization of sorghum and its value added products for sustainable livelihoods in Sub Saharan Africa through innovative scientific and technological approaches.

Read more on UniBRAIN SVCDC

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