The American Soybean Association’s World Initiative for Soy in Human Health program partnered with LixCap to host pitching sessions for a group of its African partners last week at the Africa Food Systems Forum in Senegal. Trained by LixCap’s Finance & Investment teams, these businesses demonstrated their readiness to connect with investors through grants, equity, debt, or blended finance. Each enterprise was carefully selected and prepared for investment readiness with a goal of advancing global food security.
The pitch sessions also highlighted how WISHH supported the companies to foster innovation, expand employment, and improve nutrition through trade. By strengthening investment opportunities for these companies, WISHH also potentially boosts the role of U.S. soy in their food and feed products.
WISHH sponsored five companies to take part in the pitching sessions: Club Tiossane (Senegal), a food distribution company offering poultry meat, eggs, fish, soy milk, and textured soy protein; Mosnerifoods (Nigeria), a processor of value-added fish products; Rid Agri (Nigeria), a provider of veterinary services; Vester Oil Mills (Ghana), a leader in soybean processing and animal feed production; and FMB Farms and Trading (Ghana), a producer of eggs and trader of agricultural commodities.
The Africa Food Systems Forum is designed to scale up the continent’s efforts to build healthier, more inclusive, sustainable, resilient, and equitable food systems that have the power to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Africa by 2030. WISHH joined this year’s Forum to link development and trade while highlighting the role soy has played on the continent and create new opportunities for U.S. soy in the future.
WISHH’s participation in the conference was supported by USDA Regional Agricultural Promotion Program funding. WISHH also leveraged United Soybean Board support to participate in a panel and presentation on advancing Africa’s livestock sector through innovation.