Luanda, Angola, December 10, 2021, IFC and Grupo Cart, the country’s largest agro-industrial group, today launched a capacity building program to support tens of thousands of producers and MSMEs in increasing production and improving market access.
Through this program, IFC will support Grupo Cart in developing good agricultural practices, crop diversification, and establishing structured value chains in rural areas. Special focus will be given to soybean cultivation and poultry farming.
This initiative will revive private rural extension and will kick-off Angola’s largest poultry project, training 300 agricultural technicians and registering more than 50,000 producers who will benefit from production packages and access to new crops and markets in the provinces of Benguela, Huambo, Huíla, Bié, Kwanza Sul and Malange.
In the promotion of the poultry sector, the IFC Cart partnership will design standard kits for the production of chickens for different segments of MSMEs. This will include the equipment and infrastructure, as well as the training and input needs for current and potential poultry producers in rural areas. These producers will benefit from access to credit, technical assistance and sales through sales to the Cart Group.
Nelson Cart, CEO of Grupo Cart said “we are very pleased to have the support of the IFC, it is our goal to implement our vertical integration strategy where our industrial complex will provide not only the outlet for Angolan agricultural production, but also the supply of inputs and markets for the chicken farming sector. This assistance will allow us to accelerate our growth in this new sector that is so important for Angola’s food sufficiency,” added Nelson Cart.
Angola currently imports more than 90% of chicken meat, due to the lack of raw materials and animal feed, which, in addition to the pressure on the trade balance, represents a lost opportunity in value creation in the country’s rural areas.
“The agro-industrial sector has the potential to be a key sector in Angola’s economic development. Through this partnership, IFC will help local production as well as supply to industry, creating sustainable value chains in rural areas, contributing to job creation and prosperity, said Indira Campos, IFC Official for Angola and Botswana.
In addition to the energy sector and financial services, agriculture was one of the priority sectors identified by the IFC with the potential to catalyze Angola’s economic growth. IFC has Technical Assistance programs to promote private investment, create markets and value chains, as well as to promote access to credit to the agricultural sector, particularly for smallholders.
IFC’s technical assistance portfolio aims to contribute to the strengthening of the business environment in the country, and includes, in addition to a program in the agricultural sector, technical support for the creation of a Private Credit Information Center and financing for SMEs through Banco Millenium Angola.
Grupo Cart is an Angolan family business that is committed to developing an ecosystem that promotes local production in the food sector, managing all stages of the process, from the origination of raw materials to transport, storage, processing, distribution and marketing.
About the International Finance Corporation (IFC)
IFC – Member of the World Bank Group – is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging markets. It operates in more than 100 countries, using its own capital, experience and influence to create markets and opportunities in developing countries. In fiscal year 2021, IFC invested $31.5 billion in private companies and financial institutions in developing countries, leveraging the power of the private sector to end extreme poverty and drive shared prosperity as economies grapple with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
For more information, visit www.ifc.org