Think Creative Spring 2022

Program in focus A closer look at Creative’s work in action

Nigeria USAID West Africa Trade & Investment Hub

“I used to harvest 4 or 5 bags of corn per hectare. Now I harvest 70 bags or more per hectare.”

- Hajiya Rabi Habibu, smallholder farmer

More than 50,000 smallholder farmers in three Nigerian states will get a big boost from Thrive Agric, a technology company that connects farmers to resources, services and markets. The USAIDWest Africa Trade & Investment Hub is providing a $1.75 million co-investment grant to Thrive Agric to support local farmers who produce rice, maize and soybeans. Thrive Agric will raise $10 million to expand its capacity to assist farmers. Farmers will benefit from technology services, credit, insurance, logistics and storage support, as well as use of Thrive Agric’s Tradr and Tmoni mobile apps, which allow direct access to agricultural input suppliers. These farmer-focused apps also allow them to easily send and receive money, a necessity since most farmers are far from cities and banks. In West Africa, the Trade Hub has awarded 75 grants worth $70 million in its first two and a half years. These co-investments are expected to generate $560 million in private investment, 59,000 sustainable jobs and facilitate more than $456 mil lion in exports in agriculture, manufactured goods, energy and services by the end of the program. The private investment generated represents eight times the value of the Trade Hub funds. The Trade Hub manages a pipeline of more than $1.2 billion in transactions and has engaged with more than 700 private companies, as well as business associations, development finance institutions and government agencies. n

Photo by Aniebiet Bassey

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