IGNITE Innovation Hub for Eastern Africa

Following up on our recent post about Somalia, the next country in our regional innovation journey is Ethiopia! 🌍 In Ethiopia, WFP has partnered with CARE and iceaddis to identify and support ventures tackling the climate impacts on food security and agriculture. Through the IGNITE Climate Innovation Challenge, six innovative companies—four from Amhara and two from Afar—have been selected to join an acceleration program aimed at scaling their solutions for even greater impact. Our call for applications, available both online and offline, enabled us to reach entrepreneurs in rural areas of Amhara and Afar, regions that often miss out on such opportunities. With IceAddis' support, these ventures successfully pitched their businesses and secured funding and acceleration support. Stay tuned for updates as these companies progress through the acceleration phase! 🚀 #ClimateInnovation #FoodSecurity #Agriculture #Entrepreneurship #IGNITEChallenge #WFP #Ethiopia #IceAddis #CARE Zewdie Adane Jacobeth Barno Yitaye Alemayehu, Markos Lemma Bedan Mwathi William Holden Mohamed Shellimoh Emma-Lee Knape, World Food Programme Eastern Africa, USAID - Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark

Big news as we kick off November! We're excited to share that we are currently running three innovation challenges across the region that we’ll be sharing over the course of the week. First up—Somalia! 🌍 In partnership with Response Innovation Lab, WFP Somalia launched the first IGNITE Food Systems Challenge, aimed at finding impactful solutions to address food system challenges and improve the efficiency of aid programmes across the country. From over 100 applications, 12 ventures pitched their solutions, and five were selected to join the acceleration phase. Over the next three months, The KCG, Greenlife Agribusiness LTD, Ruman Integrated Organic Farm, SomFarm Fresh, RAAS Agribusiness Solution will receive financial and technical support to scale their innovative solutions. None of this would be possible without the support of our partners, USAID - Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. Stay tuned for more updates from our other regional challenges throughout the week. Abdirahman Sabrie, Nishant Das, Utsav Kharel, Vanessa Mwangale, Max Vieille, Altan Butt, Fatima Hirsi, Yanina Semenchenko, Mohamed Shellimoh, Bedan Mwathi,William Holden, Emma-Lee Knape, Brenda Gichuki, Anna Eriksen, Joy Matwale

Big news as we kick off November! We're excited to share that we are currently running three innovation challenges across the region that we’ll be sharing over the course of the week. First up—Somalia! 🌍 In partnership with Response Innovation Lab, WFP Somalia launched the first IGNITE Food Systems Challenge, aimed at finding impactful solutions to address food system challenges and improve the efficiency of aid programmes across the country. From over 100 applications, 12 ventures pitched their solutions, and five were selected to join the acceleration phase. Over the next three months, The KCG, Greenlife Agribusiness LTD, Ruman Integrated Organic Farm, SomFarm Fresh, RAAS Agribusiness Solution will receive financial and technical support to scale their innovative solutions. None of this would be possible without the support of our partners, USAID - Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. Stay tuned for more updates from our other regional challenges throughout the week. Abdirahman Sabrie, Nishant Das, Utsav Kharel, Vanessa Mwangale, Max Vieille, Altan Butt, Fatima Hirsi, Yanina Semenchenko, Mohamed Shellimoh, Bedan Mwathi,William Holden, Emma-Lee Knape, Brenda Gichuki, Anna Eriksen, Joy Matwale

🌟 Global Innovation Network 2024 🌟 WFP Innovation representatives convened in Kampala, Uganda for the second Annual Workshop with the theme: ‘Driving Innovation from the Field’, bringing together country offices, regional bureau - including the IGNITE Innovation Hub for Eastern Africa, and the global team from the WFP Innovation Accelerator. 🚀The Innovation Tribe members used the four days to reflect on their journey over the past year, visit start-up ventures in Uganda, converse with partners, and outline exciting pathways to implement key priorities in the coming year. Many thanks to the participating countries and regional bureau: #Benin, #Burundi, #Ethiopia, #Guatemala, #Kenya, #Peru, #Rwanda, #Somalia, #SouthSudan, #RegionalBureauDakar, #RegionalBureauNairobi #RegionalBureauPanama, #Tanzania, #Uganda. We look forward to growing the #WFPInnovationTribe in the coming year as we put the WFP Global Innovation Strategy into action. #WFPInnovation #InnovationForImpact #ZeroHunger Michelle Joseph Emma-Lee Anna Mohamed Bedan Brenda William Paul Joy

🌟 Exciting News from the WFP IGNITE Seed Innovation Programme! 🌟 We are thrilled to announce the successful completion of the WFP IGNITE Seed Innovation Programme, which brought together 11 exceptional teams from #Rwanda, #Uganda, #Ethiopia and #Kenya. 🚀 Over the past 12 months, these talented innovators collaborated with qualified facilitators and industry experts to validate their concepts. They improved essential skills in human-centered design, sustainable business development, and pitching, all while fine-tuning their venture ideas. The dedication and creativity displayed by these teams were truly inspiring, and we can’t wait to see the positive impact they will have on #foodsecurity and #sustainability in their communities and beyond. Congratulations to the following teams Hydroponics Gardens Masaka🥗, Nakuru Tubers🥔, Cricket-2-food, DroughtSmart, Umuntu Agrobiotics, Enhancing Smart Agriculture in Rural Africa👨🌾, Rhea, Sauti East Africa, Ablenee Energy Solutions🌾, Enset Processing Technology/Safedish, Green Ethiopia. A huge thank you to everyone involved in this transformative journey! Special thanks to Circle Innovation (Nzisa, Karina, Grace and David) and DTU Skylab (Roberto and Yi-Ting). CARE Danmark Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark Emma-Lee Knape Mohamed Shellimoh Paul Moseti Brenda Gichuki William Holden Bedan Mwathi Joy Matwale Anna Eriksen #WFP #IGNITESeed #Disrupthunger

🌍 Building WFP Innovation Capacity Across Eastern Africa 🌍 Recently, the WFP Eastern Africa Innovation team convened WFP‘s first immersive Human-Centered Design (HCD) Train-the-Trainer Workshop for Innovation colleagues from across Eastern Africa as a step towards enhancing and strengthening our regional #Innovation capacity.🌟🎉 The WFP #TtTWorkshop is part of our key pillar to embed a culture of innovation throughout the region, ensuring that teams are equipped with the skills to design solutions that address the real needs of the people we serve. Our Eastern Africa #InnovationTribe is growing and we are committed to fostering a culture of creativity and innovation that can thrive in all contexts. This training brought together teams from #Rwanda, #Uganda, #Kenya, #Somalia, #SouthSudan, and #Ethiopia, equipping them with essential HCD tools to solve real-world challenges within their communities.🌱 Many thanks to the WFP Kenya Innovation team for sharing their experience and co-facilitating this workshop. Together, we are pioneering a food-secure future for Eastern Africa. 💡🌾 #WFPInnovation #InnovationTribe #HumanCenteredDesign #InnovationForImpact #EasternAfrica #CommunityDrivenSolutions #ZeroHunger Michelle Emma-Lee Joseph Anna Mohamed Joy Bedan Brenda William Paul Faith Andrea Federico Obutu Zewdie Jacobeth Fatima Amin Altan Yanina Kiwanuka abuni Giulia Badre Magnus

We're thrilled to be featured in the latest " Fostering Innovation in Low- and Middle-Income Countries Through Challenge Funds and Prizes - Lessons for development co-operation "｜OECD report , highlighting the impact of the IGNITE Food Systems Challenge! Since 2021, this program, led by IGNITE Innovation Hub for Eastern Africa, has empowered local entrepreneurs in Rwanda, South Sudan, and Uganda to create climate-resilient, inclusive food systems. 🚀 With $850,000 in grants awarded to date, and the latest edition already launched in Rwanda, Impact Hub Kigali is proud to be part of this journey, driving transformative change in our communities.🌱 Let's continue to foster innovation and support ventures that shape the future of food systems! Read the report here : bit.ly/OECD2024 OECD - OCDE ｜ Benjamin Kumpf ｜ Avilia Zavarella ｜Teodora Diana Chis Kathy Quillinan Nothstine #ImpactHubKigali #entrepreneurship #sustainabledevelopment

Today, 12 innovators from across #Somalia will have the opportunity to pitch their innovative solutions to address food system challenges to a high-profile jury, emphasizing the uniqueness of their solutions and their potential to bridge gaps in Somalia's food systems.   Watch our event livestreamed @responseinnovationlabs5062 on YouTube at 9am (UTC+3)! https://lnkd.in/eBZ9WcNj #ignitefoodsystems #innovationchallenge #foodsystems #sdg2 Hosted by: World Food Programme World Vision World Vision Somali Somali Resilience Program (SomReP) Shaqodoon Organization Response Innovation Lab

The deadline for The IGNITE Food Systems Challenge in Somalia has been extended to 16th August. This is your chance to amplify the impact of your venture and contribute to transforming food systems in Somalia. Don’t miss out: https://lnkd.in/dGirtyDC

Are you a Food Systems Entrepreneur based in Somalia? The IGNITE Food Systems Challenge by WFP and Response Innovation Lab, supported by USAID - Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark is seeking solutions to address food insecurity in Somalia. This initiative offers funding and technical support to local entrepreneurs working across on food systems and climate resilience. Register to join our information session on 6th August 2024, 1500-1600 HRS EAT: https://lnkd.in/d6zjYYVZ Apply for the challenge by the 9th of August; https://rb.gy/k2x201 Mohamed Shellimoh William Holden Emma-Lee Knape Bedan Mwathi Fatima Hirsi Altan Butt Utsav Kharel Vanessa Mwangale