By Dayo Adedeji
The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), a Swiss-based foundation, launched in 2002 at a Special Session of the UN General Assembly on Children to tackle human suffering caused by malnutrition, is calling on women and youth-led agribusinesses, farmers associations and cooperatives to apply for its Microgrant Funding Opportunity. This second edition of the Microgrant is a funding opportunity for nutritious food businesses with food products from Vitamin A Maize, Vitamin A Cassava, and Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato, operating in Kaduna, Benue, Nasarawa and Oyo states.
Agribusinesses play a vital role in Nigeria’s economy, contributing significantly to employment generation, food security, and overall economic development. However, access to finance has been a persistent challenge for agribusinesses in the country, limiting their growth and potential impact. One of the primary obstacles faced by agribusinesses in Nigeria is financing for innovative agribusiness solutions, high-interest rates offered by banks and other financial institutions are another significant barrier for agribusinesses seeking loans in Nigeria. Through its Strengthening Nutrition in Priority Staples Project, GAIN is seeking to provide an opportunity for over 30 nutritious food businesses to access micro-grant funding in Nigeria.
GAIN Micro-Grant Funding aims to fund nutritious food businesses operating in the Vitamin A Cassava, Vitamin A Maize, Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato value chains in Kaduna, Benue, Nasarawa and Oyo States with equity-free grants to scale their businesses and support the commercialisation of nutrient-enriched food products in Nigeria. The microgrant programme will provide equity-free grants of N3,000,000 (Three million naira) to 33 select businesses across the four project states.
To qualify to apply, the founder of the business or association applying must be 18 years of age or over as of May 2023 and must reside in Nigeria. Applicants MUST operate in the following target groups:
Furthermore, the interested individual applicants must be operating businesses functioning in one of the value chains; Vitamin A Cassava, Vitamin A Maize, and Orange Fleshed Sweet Potato and must be registered with CAC for a minimum of one year, while group applicants must be registered with CAC for a minimum of three years.
Businesses that meet the highlighted criteria and who are presently functioning in one of the select local government areas of Kaduna, Nasarawa, Benue, and Oyo are qualified to apply for the GAIN Microgrant Funding at https://bit.ly/Apply4GAINMicrogrant
The deadline for the submission of applications is November 12, 2023. Terms and conditions apply, to read more about the terms and conditions of this application, visit this link – https://bit.ly/GAINMicrograntTerms
GAIN is committed to working with both governments and businesses to transform food systems so that they deliver more nutritious food for all people. Through alliances, we provide technical, financial, and policy support to key participants in the food system. We use specific learning, evidence of impact, and results of projects and programs to shape and influence the actions of others.
For further information on the Microgrant funding for 2023, contact Joyce Akpata via jakpata@gainhealth.org or call 08033110898. To read and learn more about the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, kindly visit www.gainhealth.org