Financial support available for producer organisations in Africa from the Belgian Trade for Development Centre

July 2020 - The Belgian Trade for Development Centre (TDC) has launched a call for proposals for African Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) and producer organisations active in sustainable production and trade. They can apply for financial support from the TDC for initiatives that improve the management of their organization and access to the market (local, regional or international).

Grants of between 10-30,000 EUR are available, to cover up to 90% of eligible expenditure of the project activities. Applicants must be located in one of the following countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, DR Congo, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Mali, Morocco, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania or Uganda.

Eligible applicants must be MSMEs or producer organisations that have a primary aim to achieve a social added value, rather than to maximise profit, e.g. sustainable development through environmentally friendly production processes; democratic decision-making; transparency; positive integration into society. For example, cooperatives, associations, foundations and mutual societies will usually meet the criteria.

Applicants must be legally established for at least 2 years, and be involved in a list of eligible activities including the growing, process and and/or trading of cocoa, coffee, fruits, vegetables, leguminous plants, and nuts. They must also be engaged in sustainable production and trade. An up-to date certificate or proof of being in the process of getting certified by FairWild will be sufficient proof of meeting this eligibility requirement, along with a number of other initiatives. Other forms of proof include third-party verification against comparable criteria of the certification schemes listed; proof of membership of a formal fair trade network; and/or a sales contract with a member of a fair trade network in Europe.

The types of activity that may be financed include capacity building, product development, equipment, quality improvements, certification, market research, communications, trade fair participation, environmental sustainability improvements, and adaptation to the COVID-19 sanitary crisis.

For more information, please refer directly to the Call for Proposals issued by TDC. Applications must be submitted by 10th September 2020.

If you are an eligible producer organisation intending to apply for funding of activities related to FairWild certification and/or the implementation of measures to improve the sustainability of wild harvesting, please do contact us to discuss how we could support your application.