written by: Mabel Shu Lum[1], Benjamin Abugri [2]& Abdulrazak Ibrahim [3]
In Africa, the agriculture sector contributes to the economic development and livelihood improvement of a majority of the population. In 2022, this sector contributed 17% of sub-Saharan Africa’s GDP. As a continent with a vibrant youth population and productive land, Africa possesses the potential to provide sufficient and nutritious food for its people, thereby mitigating hunger and poverty. However, challenges such as insufficient resources, climate change, inability to leverage and implement technological innovations, limited access to knowledge and many others continue to hinder advancement within the sector.
With the rise in innovation technologies, it is inherent for the sector to leverage some of these to improve agricultural yield. Innovation platforms (IPs) serve as a space for learning, experience sharing, collaboration, identification of challenges, and provision of possible solutions. These platforms bring together different stakeholders from every level of the agricultural value chain to discuss issues towards attaining a common objective. Based on data from the Observatory for Africa Agriculture Knowledge Hub, FARADataInformS, there are more than 400 agricultural Innovation Platforms established across Africa. Some countries with the highest number of IPs include Nigeria (93), Kenya (43), DRC (40) and Ghana (31). However, some of the stakeholders within these IPs lack the required capacity and resources to maintain and support the scaling of technologies and good practices for which they were formed in the first place. This is often due to low engagement among stakeholders at different levels of the value chain, discordant views and understanding of the IPs and their visions, as well as paucity of up-to-date information to allow them to thrive.
There is therefore a need to provide these stakeholders with the required capacity and opportunity to network and collaborate to ensure synergy amongst these actors. This will contribute to providing them with a better understanding of the IP model, address working in silos, and provide a close link between technology providers and those who will take up and upscale these technologies.
In a stakeholders’ training of trainers’ workshop held at the Pioneer Hotel in Tamale, Ghana, the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) through its Capacity Development and Technology Outreach (CDTO) compact and partners, including IITA, AATF, World Vegetables, FARA and CSIR-SARI, sought to address some of these IP challenges. The workshop, which was held between September 2nd and 6th, 2024, brought together over 120 stakeholders of the maize, rice, soybean, and vegetable value chains to strengthen their capacities in the establishment and management of IPs to facilitate the adoption of proven technologies for sustainable impact in the agricultural sector.
“There is a need for capacity strengthening of farmers on access to technology, knowledge building, and the creation of more learning platforms to increase reach to the wider audience.” – Dr Issah Sugri, Deputy Director, CSIR-SARI.
In their welcome and introductory remarks, the speakers commended the participants for their commitment and admonished them to be ambassadors in promoting good agricultural practices in Ghana.
The highly interactive sessions were filled with discussions, teamwork, case studies, and presentations, and aimed at fostering a culture of experience sharing and peer learning among participants. The modules covered included setting up an IP, governance of an IP, and resource mobilization in an IP, amongst others. Through these sessions, participants were able to understand the fundamentals of an IP, including key concepts and principles, setting up, functioning, facilitation, governance, monitoring, evaluation, and learning, conflict management, negotiation, and contracting.
Group of Maize IP Members pose for Picture during the Training workshop
Despite their significance, Innovation Platforms (IPs) cannot operate effectively without stakeholders’ ability to mobilize and manage resources. To address this, participants engaged in sessions on resource mobilization, financial models within IPs, and business plan development. Through value chain analysis exercises, participants identified key activities and stakeholders at each stage of the value chain, mapped the relationships and functions between them, and highlighted the challenges faced by each stakeholder. This practical exercise allowed participants to apply the theoretical knowledge they gained during the sessions, bridging the gap between theory and practice.
The module on conflict management sparked very interesting discussions and diverse perspectives from participants who shared their experiences on some conflicts they had been involved in and how they tackled them.
‘A difference in perception is at the heart of conflicts.’ – Dr Latifou Idrissou, Lead IP Trainer and Facilitator, University of Parakou, Benin.
The discussion on innovation versus invention brought thought-provoking examples and explanations for participants’ understanding of the two concepts.
An important workshop highlight was a session during which various Commodity Compacts (maize, soybean, rice, and vegetables) collaborated in teams to develop work plans, applying the concepts learned throughout the five-day program. These work plans enabled each group to identify key stakeholders, outline objectives, define indicators, plan activities, assign roles and responsibilities, estimate costs, set timelines, and project expected results.
Several actions common to all compacts focused on strengthening the capacity of seed producers and enhancing partnerships and collaboration across all levels of the value chain to boost yields and reduce post-harvest losses. These efforts align with the primary objectives of the training.
“If Africa is an agrarian community, we can’t rely on the West to feed us. The jobs that most of us are looking for are within our reach. All we need to do is to adopt the strategies and knowledge we have gained and within the next 12 months, we will have improved.” – Omikunle Oluwaseun Ayoola, Soybean compact representative, IITA.
“I came as a trainee and I can say that I am well equipped on how to establish, run, and govern an IP and I believe the stakeholders are also well equipped.” – Joyce Njuguna, Maize compact representative, AATF.
In his concluding remarks, Dr Abdulrazak Baba Ibrahim, Lead Specialist for Capacity Development and Future Scenarios, and the TAAT-CDTO Coordinator assured participants of the commitment of all compacts to the activities and sustainability of the IPs. To close the event, Chief Mohammed Rashad Abdulai, Secretary to the Paramount Chief of the Gukpegu Traditional Council, Tamale, commended the participants and organizers for their active participation. He emphasized the need to think outside the box to support the advancement and sustainability of Ghana’s agricultural transformation agenda.
“We must put into practice all that we have learned from here and bear in mind that there is more room to learn. To realize our full potential, we need to start self-organizing and avoid relying solely on donor agencies for support”, Chief Rashad concluded.
Author Affiliations
[1] Mabel Shu Lum is KM4AgD Fellow, Certified KM Manager for Sustainable Development and the Knowledge Management Assistant at the West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI)
[2] Benjamin Abugri is a KM and Project Management Practitioner and the KM, Digitalization and Learning Cluster Lead Specialist at the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA)
[3] Abdulrazak Ibrahim is a Scientist and Capacity Development and Futures Cluster Lead Specialist at the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA)