In order to strengthen the angel investment ecosystem in climate-smart agriculture, the African Business Angel Network (ABAN) and Scaling Digital Agriculture Innovations through Start-ups (SAIS) have partnered to launch the Climate Smart Agriculture Angel Investor Capacity Development (CAICD) program.
While SAIS, a project carried out by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), is a company development and accelerator program that offers an investment readiness program for agri-tech and climate-tech entrepreneurs, ABAN is the largest pan-African organization of angel investors.
ABAN established a sector-focused angel network devoted to climate-smart agriculture in 2023 after realizing the pressing need for sustainable farming methods and technology integration in Africa. This year, ABAN has partnered with SAIS to launch the CAICD program.
By giving aspiring angel investors specialized knowledge and skills, the program aims to have a positive impact on the agriculture industry. It seeks to address pressing environmental issues, create new avenues for innovation and economic growth, and host venture showcases by emphasizing climate-smart practices and technologies.
The program will find and train 60 new angel investors to join the ABAN Climate Smart Agriculture Network over the course of the following two cohorts. The objective is to complete ten investment agreements within six months of the program’s end, demonstrating efficient capital allocation in climate-smart agriculture initiatives.
Along with providing extensive training modules to help network members develop strong investment acumen, the program will track participants’ progress through active network participation.
“By recruiting and training a new wave of angel investors, we will not just be expanding the capacity of networks in our community, but also empowering these investors to make impactful contributions to climate-smart agriculture. In essence, this programme is ideally designed to build a solid foundation for successful investment and sustainable development. As ABAN, we are eager to play a key role in the realisation of innovative solutions and significant progress that will emerge from this initiative,” said ABAN CEO Fadilah Tchoumba.
The program will also host ten venture showcases over the course of two cohorts, giving startups the chance to directly pitch their ideas to the ABAN Climate Smart Agriculture Network. Eight virtual events devoted solely to climate-smart agriculture startups and two live events at significant conferences like the Africa Early Stage Investor Summit (AESIS) will comprise these showcases.
“At SAIS, we are committed to supporting the growth of startups across Africa – and investment is one of the key elements. Therefore, through our joint project with ABAN, we are empowering 60 gender-inclusive business angels across Africa and the diaspora, providing them with the tools, knowledge, and networks needed to invest effectively in early-stage climate-smart agriculture ventures. By building capacity for these investors, we aim to bridge the capital gap and foster a more inclusive investment landscape,” said Tina Lochmann from SAIS.
