MAVA hosts the 3rd edition of the Africa Forum on Investment in Agricultural Value Chains
Benguerir, April 17, 2025 – Mobilizing for Agricultural Value Chains in Africa (MAVA), an initiative powered by INNOVX, hosted the third edition of the African Forum on Investment in Agricultural Value Chains. Launched in October 2023 by INNOVX with the support of the OCP Group and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) – a member of the World Bank Group and the leading global development institution focused on the private sector – MAVA aims to foster sustainable food systems by supporting innovative companies to drive a dual green transition: agricultural and environmental across the African continent.
This third edition focused on investment and innovation as key drivers of resilient and sustainable agricultural value chains, bringing together key stakeholders from agribusiness, investment, development agencies, entrepreneurs, and public institutions. The Forum also served as a networking platform and catalyst for collaborative initiatives.
“INNOVX supports the development of the MAVA initiative, alongside IFC and the OCP Group, as part of a shared ambition to enable the sustainable transformation of agricultural value chains in Africa. This third edition reaffirms our commitment to aligning innovation, investment and impact to serve local communities,” stated Amine Houssaim, CEO of INNOVX.
“Sponsored by IFC and the OCP Group, MAVA embodies a bold ambition: to mobilize $800 million by 2030 to catalyze and deploy strategic investments across agricultural value chains in Africa. This forum presents a strategic opportunity to highlight a renewed vision for African smallholder farmers, promote an innovation-driven ecosystem accelerating the dual green transition, and attract new partners and investors to maximize impact,” added Younes Addou, Vice President Agribusiness & Sustainability Solutions, INNOVX.
“Through its commitment to MAVA, alongside IFC and INNOVX, OCP Africa reaffirms its determination to contribute to the structural transformation of agriculture across the continent. This approach is fully aligned with our long-term vision: investing in integrated and customized solutions, strengthening value chain resilience, and supporting the emergence of an inclusive and sustainable agriculture serving African smallholders,” shared Mohamed Hettiti, CEO of OCP Africa.
A unique collaborative model to transform Africa’s agricultural value chains
Previously known as Agri-Finance Platform, MAVA is an initiative powered by INNOVX, a business builder and investor affiliated with Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P). MAVA leverages the agricultural development expertise of OCP Group – especially through its subsidiary OCP Africa – and IFC’s financing experience to tackle sustainability challenges, particularly in food security and natural resource management.
A strategic support from the French Development Agency (AFD).
In the context of the Forum, AFD renewed its commitment to MAVA by signing a strategic grant of €350,000 in support of INNOVX. This funding aims to strengthen MAVA’s diagnostic and advisory activities through a comprehensive research program structured around five priority areas. These include the operational and institutional analysis of agricultural value chains and feasibility studies on carbon sequestration through agricultural by-product valorization. This initiative fully aligns with a shared ambition: accelerating the inclusive, resilient, and sustainable transformation of African agriculture, while contributing to food security, climate adaptation, and local resource valorization.
MAVA: a catalyst for innovation rooted in the field
Since its establishment, MAVA has demonstrated a tangible impact by supporting innovative projects in agriculture across Africa. Several pilot initiatives have been launched in key value chains such as rice and cashew, to test and scale innovative solutions within de-risked environments. Projects include the valorization of cashew waste into biochar and biofuel, and the integration of an Insurtech solution mitigating risks in rice production and processing.
Ambitious in scope, the platform continues to strengthen Africa’s innovation ecosystems, notably by supporting Agritech and agribusiness startups through local incubators and accelerators.
In this spirit, MAVA has launched a startup challenge in partnership with Digital Africa, a subsidiary of PROPARCO, to support the most promising solutions in Agtech, Fintech, and Insurtech — offering investment tickets of up to $100,000 and tailored support.
By combining innovation in food systems with financial expertise, MAVA drives the emergence of sustainable and integrated value chains while reinforcing local capacities. The results seen today speak to the relevance of MAVA’s model, and its ability to build impactful synergies between investors, entrepreneurs, and farming communities.
This third edition of the Agrichain Investment Forum will be followed by itinerant events and future forum editions, to sustain momentum and ensure long-term operationalization of the projects initiated.
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