Durabilis Announces US$ 10 Million Commitment to Integrate Sustainable Agro Supply Chains in West Africa at Clinton Global Initiative in New York

NEW YORK, Sept. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- At the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting held this week in New York City, Durabilis announced its US$ 10 million commitment to support the development of sustainable and integrated agro-business supply chains in West Africa.

Over the next 5 years, Durabilis will develop a number of innovative agro-business supply chains in West Africa that will utilize high technology innovations for low cost Bottom-of-the-Pyramid (BoP) applications to be marketed in local and regional markets. These agro supply chains will link local small holder farmers with state-of-the-art processing and  transformation facilities and a distribution network that guarantees linkage with market demand. Liquid products such as energized water, hibiscus, fruit juice, dairy products, cereal, fortified rice, mangos and sweet potatoes will all be part of the product range.

The commitment will be piloted in Burkina Faso in 2010/2011 and will be replicated in other West African countries such as Senegal, Nigeria, Mali and Ghana in the course of the coming years.

Agriculture has been identified by the World Bank, the FAO and other international organisations as having the highest leverage on both sustainability and development. Integration in the chain is key to ensure that each link provides products or services that could fit the market needs of the end consumers. Sustainable development therefore demands integrated agro-business supply chain models. Durabilis is convinced of the need for larger scale agro-businesses in West Africa, as the numerous smaller scale projects can not satisfy the market needs or the high interest from numerous international donors looking to address this issue. As a funder and capacity building organisation, Durabilis is committed to coordinate all elements of the supply chains in order to build up larger scale integrated organisations that service the local and regional markets and thereby also address the pressing food safety issue still present in most countries in West Africa. 

Through its commitment, Durabilis is looking to create over 3,000 sustainable incomes through self employment or new job opportunities.

"This is a unique opportunity for us to present our Commitment to Action and to link with like-minded private sector players active in the agro sector and other foundations to take our Commitment beyond the work of our own foundation, " Durabilis' managing director Sebastiaan Saverys comments on his participation at this year's CGI meeting.

About Durabilis Foundation

The Durabilis Foundation focuses on supporting sustainable entrepreneurship in agro-business supply chains in emerging markets. As such, it invests in small and medium sized agro-businesses in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa active in the fresh fruit and vegetable markets and local base-of-the-pyramid products. Durabilis has a dedicated team performing extensive research and business development in order to provide the necessary market research, operational innovation and market linkages for the businesses it supports.

About the Clinton Global Initiative

Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) convenes global leaders to devise and implement innovative solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges. Since 2005, CGI Annual Meetings have brought together more than 125 current and former heads of state, 15 Nobel Peace Prize laureates, hundreds of leading CEOs, heads of foundations, major philanthropists, directors of the most effective nongovernmental organizations, and prominent members of the media. These CGI members have made more than 1,700 commitments valued at $57 billion, which have already improved the lives of 220 million people in more than 170 countries. For more information, visit www.clintonglobalinitiative.org.

SOURCE Durabilis Foundation