Southern Africa

In Cabo Delgado, Mozambique, agri-entrepreneurs like Helena and Amândio are seeking to lift themselves out of poverty by expanding their businesses. But even good market opportunities, like poultry production, can pose challenges when entrepreneurs lack the technical knowledge to run enterprises successfully. TechnoServe’s Catalisa program teaches small-scale poultry producers how to profitably produce chickens for the live market through hands-on training and one-on-one coaching, enabling them to expand their production and earn higher incomes.

In Palma, a rural town in northern Mozambique, young people often struggle to earn a living outside of basic fishing and farming. Entrepreneurship offers a promising solution. After participating in the Catalisa Youth program and business plan competition, Folai Andeni and Fazira Nassoro each began testing their own business ideas and have already begun reaping the rewards.

When the COVID-19 crisis hit Mozambique, many women entrepreneurs like Catarina Bié struggled to keep their businesses afloat. Recognizing the importance of continuing to support entrepreneurs during this difficult time, but wanting to do so safely, TechnoServe adapted its usual in-person training program to a digital format using WhatsApp.

As a young girl, Thato Ditsele dreamed of owning her own fashion business. However, life as a young entrepreneur outside of Johannesburg was not easy, and she ran into challenges along the way. Eventually, her dream came true and she was able to start her own clothing line. Through TechnoServe’s Box Shop program, she gained practical knowledge about finance, marketing, and branding, which helped her increase sales by 50%.

Robin Merl worked as a TechnoServe Fellow in Zambia in 2019. His work centered around strategies for decreasing malnutrition and stunting in the most affected areas of Zambia. Before joining TechnoServe, Robin worked with McKinsey & Company in Hamburg, Germany. Currently, he is working for the Freetown City Council and mayor’s office in Sierra Leone.

Like many other micro-retailers in Mozambique, Juliana Mário has seen her sales decrease because of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, with the support of TechnoServe’s Business Women Connect team, Juliana has learned how to keep her business open and maintain her livelihood through these difficult times.

In a time of crisis, soybean is providing farmers in the Cabo Delgado province of northern Mozambique with income ahead of their normal cash crops. With funding from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, TechnoServe’s ProSoja program is helping smallholder farmers in this area profit from soybean production for the first time.

In Mozambique, micro-retailers provide essential food and household goods to consumers. However, these entrepreneurs are facing new challenges as they try to adapt to the impact of COVID-19. TechnoServe surveyed micro-retailers to identify their biggest challenges in this changing environment in order to shape an effective response.

Soon after opening her takeaway business in Maputo, Mozambique, Anabela Amosse realized that she was losing potential customers who could only pay using a mobile phone-based service. Seeing an opportunity to earn additional income and reach new customers, she decided to become an agent. Through her participation in a TechnoServe entrepreneurship course, Anabela learned how to best manage both businesses, increasing her overall income by 220%.

TechnoServe’s Catalisa program teaches smallholder farmers like Issufo Momade how to profitably produce vegetables through hands-on training and demonstration plots, which enable even the most risk-averse farmers to see the tangible results of the improved techniques and inputs before making big investments.