The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), a Swiss-based foundation founded in 2002 during a Special Session of the UN General Assembly on Children to address the severe suffering caused by malnutrition, is reaching out to women and youth-led agribusinesses, as well as farmer associations and cooperatives, to encourage their participation in the Microgrant Funding Opportunity. This second iteration of the Microgrant is designed to provide financial support to businesses involved in the production of nutritious foods like Vitamin A Maize, Vitamin A Cassava, and Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato. These businesses should be actively operating in the states of Kaduna, Benue, Nasarawa, and Oyo.
Agribusinesses in Nigeria hold a crucial role in the nation’s economy. They significantly contribute to employment opportunities, enhance food security, and foster overall economic growth. Nonetheless, securing financial support remains an ongoing challenge for agribusinesses in the country, limiting their potential for growth and meaningful impact. Innovative agribusiness solutions often face difficulty obtaining financing, partly due to the high interest rates imposed by banks and other financial institutions in Nigeria.
Through its Strengthening Nutrition in Priority Staples Project, GAIN endeavors to offer more than 30 nutritious food businesses the opportunity to access micro-grant funding in Nigeria.
Key Benefits
Aim
GAIN’s Micro-Grant Funding seeks to support nutritious food businesses operating within the Vitamin A Cassava, Vitamin A Maize, and Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato value chains in the states of Kaduna, Benue, Nasarawa, and Oyo. The funding is provided as an equity-free grant to facilitate the expansion of these businesses and promote the commercialization of nutrient-enriched food products in Nigeria.
Benefit
The microgrant program is set to provide equity-free grants, each amounting to N3,000,000 (three million naira), to 33 carefully selected businesses across the four project states.
Requirements
To qualify for application, the founder of the business or association must be 18 years of age or older as of May 2023 and must be a resident of Nigeria. The eligible applicants should operate within the following categories:
- Entities engaged in food processing, farmer’s associations, or cooperative societies
- Youth-led enterprises and women-led businesses.
- The individual applicants should run businesses within the specified value chains: Vitamin A Cassava, Vitamin A Maize, and Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato.
- Businesses, as well as group applicants, should be registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) for a minimum of one year and three years, respectively.
How to Apply
For more detailed information and to initiate the application process,
Kindly visit the Official Webpage
Application Deadline: November 12, 2023
