22 Agripreneurs, 7 Countries, 1 Goal: Building Resilient Livestock Sector in Africa

In the arid plains of Northern Ghana, a farmer watches his cattle graze. For years, he has nurtured his dream of building a livestock business that not only feeds communities but transforms livelihoods. In Burkina Faso, a young woman checks her phone for the latest feed prices before heading to the barn. Thousands of kilometers away in Kenya, a dairy entrepreneur walks through her dairy facility, grappling with the rising cost of veterinary drugs and searching for sustainable solutions.

Across Africa, livestock is more than a source of food and income. It is the backbone of rural economies and livelihoods. Strengthening this vital sector requires collaboration, innovation, and shared learning. To address these gaps, collaboration and knowledge-sharing are essential to building a thriving livestock industry.

To build the capacities and resilience of private livestock businesses, the Agri-Business Facility for Africa (ABF), hosted 22 agripreneurs from 11 private businesses across seven African countries: Ghana, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Chad, Cameroon, Tanzania, and Kenya, for an exchange workshop from May 12 to 16, 2025, in Feldafing, Germany.

Practical learning through expert sessions and field visits
The workshop combined expert-led sessions, hands-on group exercises, and business-to-business (B2B) networking. Topics included animal health and disease management, clean energy in dairy production, and performance optimization.

Field visits offered deeper insights, taking participants to the Agricultural Research and Training Centre for Cattle Feeding in Achselschwang, Tegernsee Bio Cheese Dairy, the Miesbach Livestock Market, and a traditional organic dairy farm in Bavaria. These visits provided firsthand exposure to innovative and sustainable livestock practices. The workshop featured a mix of expert-led presentations, practical group exercises, and business-to-business (B2B) networking sessions. Topics ranged from animal disease management and the use of clean energy in dairy production to performance optimization techniques. To complement the technical sessions, the group embarked on field visits to the Agricultural Research and Training Centre for Cattle Feeding in Achselschwang, Tegernsee Bio Cheese Dairy, the Livestock Market in Miesbach, and a Traditional Organic Dairy Cow Farm in Bavaria. These visits gave participants a firsthand look at practical innovations and sustainable practices in action. For many participants, the experience provided insights they could take back home.

“Feeding is something we are very passionate about in Farming In Africa (FIA). Every farm we visited demonstrated the importance of high-quality nutrition, whether through pasture management, the use of concentrates, or a mix of both. This ensures animals not only survive but also reach their full productive potential,” – Fredrick Benneh Frimpong, CEO of FIA, Ghana

“My main takeaway, especially from the field visits, was the use of traditional methods for antibiotics treatment of animals. This is a major challenge in our context, and it was inspiring to see viable alternatives in action. I also learned that achieving carbon neutrality in livestock production is possible,” – Joyce Kinyanjui, Project Manager, Happy Cow, a diary company in Kenya

Key Outcomes and Next Steps
At the end of the workshop,18 potential business driven south-south partnerships along the 9 thematic areas were initiated. Companies involved in each of these cross-border partnerships will further develop a comprehensive action plan and seek to roll out in a collaborative manner with the support of ABF and relevant livestock value chain stakeholders.

All participating enterprises are recipients of the ABF- Matching Grant Fund, supported under the Business Support Facility for Resilient Agricultural Value Chains in Africa, an initiative co-funded by the European Union under the Samoa Agreement with the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).

From left: Linh Feldkoetter (ABF-GIZ), Hellen Njeri Njoroge (Njabini Woo l- Kenya), Fatima Aminu Ibrahim (L&Z - Nigeria), Silvia Lechner (Tegernsee Bio Cheese Dairy), Nadia Serwaah Oppong (FIA - Ghana), Joyce Kinyanjui (Happy Cow - Kenya), Lou Lefort (ABF- GIZ) & Gloria Adu Boakyewaa (KNF - Ghana)