New iCRA coalitions in Burkina Faso, Kenya and Tanzania

It was a special and memorable online meeting on March 9 iCRA, the Wageningen-based specialist on training and coaching of professionals in food & agri and agricultural education institutions. Business development service providers Experts Synergy Consulting in Burkina Faso, Agri-Wise Africa in Kenya and 360 Connect in Tanzania signed a partnership agreement. This move is part of iCRA’s Growing Together strategy and its desire to be closer to its clients and end-users.

These partnerships aim to contribute to resilient, innovative and thriving homegrown agri-food businesses that make the agri-food sector in Burkina Faso, Kenya and Tanzania an attractive and inspiring career option for youth by providing professionals of today and tomorrow with the right interprofessional and people skills to manage thriving business partnership.

According to Mariette Gross, Executive Director of iCRA, “The challenges of our time, climate change and its effects in the first place, demand more than ever a collective approach and intensive cooperation. That applies to farmers, to chain parties and the agri-food sector as a whole, but it certainly also applies to us a service provider. That’s why we are thrilled that in Burkina Faso, Kenya and Tanzania, we are combining our ambitions with renowned local consultancy firms to collectively create more impact. We want to be close to the field, to our clients, and that requires on-the-spot service delivery by partners with the same drive for quality and impact”.

The partnership agreements entail, among other things, the development and execution of a joint three-year strategy, the establishment of local representation and networking, co-implementation of acquired projects and assignments, and the development of a local iCRA community of agri-food and agricultural education professionals.

In December 2022, the first iCRA partnership agreement was signed in Benin, and in the near future iCRA coalitions are also planned in Burundi, Ethiopia and Ghana.

For additional information and questions, please contact Cees van Rij, Coordinator Agribusiness at iCRA, cees.vanrij@icra.global or +31 6 10888314.