While small and medium enterprises generate the bulk of the developing world’s employment opportunities, they face several systemic constraints that hinder their growth. In Southern Africa, the most prominent challenges remain related to these businesses’ access to finance, access to markets, understanding of business management practices.
ELIM utilises a systemic approach to assess the market dynamics of the Agriculture and Rural Finance sectors to advise our donor clients on the best way to strengthen the whole market system through practical, sustainable interventions that can realise long-term benefits across the value chain. We apply the Market Systems Development (M4P) approach in our design, implementation and evaluation of agriculture and development finance programmes.
Development of value chain assessment and feasibility plan for the honey sub-sector in Angola, Angolan Development Bank
ELIM was subcontracted by FRUTIMEL, a Mozambican company producing and processing honey and its derivatives, to be part of the team that evaluated the potential for production and marketing of honey in the three Angolan provinces of Bié, Kwando Kubango and Moxico. ELIM assessed the financial viability of a project valued at $ 2.5 million to be funded by the Angolan Development Bank. Following ELIM’s recommendations, the project was successfully financed and is still being implemented to date, with ongoing technical support and monitoring from FRUTIMEL.
Agriculture sector and crop value chains mapping and finance gap assessment, International Finance Corporation
ELIM was part of the team contracted by IFC to undertake a financial needs assessment of the tomato and poultry value chains. The assignment seeks to report both business opportunities and challenges with respect to agribusiness development and financing in Mozambique. ELIM’s tasks include carrying out a mapping exercise of the agricultural sector and the pre-selected crop value chains, aligned to the agricultural development policy and/or strategy of Mozambique; performing a detailed analysis of the value chain actors and facilitators, and the role and impact of financial institutions, including banks, microfinance institutions, and savings and credit cooperatives; and assessing the existing and potential financial service delivery challenges with respect to rural smallholder farmers).
