Africa Agri-Food Development Programme 2025
The Africa Agri-Food Development Programme (AADP) is Ireland’s flagship initiative supporting the role of the private sector in sustainable food systems development. It aims to foster partnerships between Irish and African businesses to explore opportunities, develop new markets, and strengthen mutual trade.
📅 Key Details
- Date Published: June 27, 2025
- Application Deadline: August 15, 2025
- Category: Grants
- Eligible Locations: Africa
📝 About the Programme
The AADP is a catalyst for Irish and African businesses to collaborate on innovative projects that contribute to the sustainable transformation of Africa’s agri-food systems. It provides matched grant funding to enable businesses to manage financial risks and deliver significant positive impacts for local communities in African countries.
The programme aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Ireland’s international development policy, aiming to tackle poverty, eradicate hunger, fight inequality, and improve the lives of vulnerable communities.
💡 Overview of Grant Types
1. Feasibility Study Grants
- Open to Irish private sector organisations and eligible African countries.
- Supports projects exploring commercial concepts and market opportunities.
- Applications can be solo or partnership-based.
2. Full Commercial Project Grants
- Open to joint applications from Irish and African private sector organisations.
- Focuses on innovative, scalable, and impactful revenue-generating projects.
- Aims to foster mutual trade and knowledge exchange between Ireland and Africa.
🏢 Eligible Business Types
Applicants must be agri-food businesses registered/incorporated in Ireland or one of the 19 eligible African countries for at least 24 months prior to application. Eligible business structures include:
- Micro enterprises
- Companies
- Cooperatives
- Partnerships
- Registered commercial farming networks
- SMEs
- Sole traders
- Farming groups
- Social enterprises
❌ What AADP Grants Cannot Be Used For
AADP funds cannot be used for the following purposes:
- Manufacture, development, or sale of weapons, tobacco, alcohol, or gambling activities.
- Support for fossil fuel production.
- Activities contributing to deforestation or forest degradation.
- Projects that do not comply with international standards on human rights, the environment, corruption, or labor laws.
- Projects that fail to meet animal welfare standards as determined by the Irish Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
- Capital expenditure in Ireland without prior written approval.
💶 Benefits
- Matched Grant Funding:
- Up to €100,000 for commercial feasibility studies.
- Up to €250,000 for joint commercial projects.
✅ Requirements
All proposals must:
- Be commercial in nature.
- Be implemented in one or more of the 19 eligible African countries.
- Demonstrate alignment with Ireland’s international development policy and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
- Clearly justify the need for public funds and show potential to leverage other sources of finance.
- Highlight the expertise, knowledge, and skills of the applicants.
- Demonstrate appropriate governance, financial management, and fraud prevention systems.
- Show plans for mutual expertise sharing between Ireland and Africa.
- Indicate how the project will strengthen mutual trade between Ireland and Africa.
Eligible African Countries:
- Botswana
- Ghana
- Liberia
- Malawi
- Senegal
- Tanzania
- Zimbabwe
- Côte d’Ivoire
- Kenya
- Namibia
- Mozambique
- Sierra Leone
- Uganda
- Ethiopia
- Lesotho
- Nigeria
- Rwanda
- South Africa
- Zambia
📂 Application Process
Required Documentation:
- Irish Tax Clearance Certificate (applicable to all applicants).
- Project Budget: Breakdown of spending, funding sources, activities, and equipment.
- Project Implementation Plan: Calendar of main steps and activities.
- Collaboration Plan: Timeline for partnership activities.
Application Forms:
Submission:
- Applications must be submitted with all required documentation to aadp@dfa.ie by 17:00 Irish time on Friday, August 15, 2025.
- Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.
📌 Application Deadline
August 15, 2025
🌐 Additional Information
For more details, visit the official Africa Agri-Food Development Programme 2025 page.
To apply, visit the AADP Application Portal.
For inquiries, contact aadp@dfa.ie.
- Matched grant funding of up to €100,000 for commercial feasibility studies
- Matched grant funding of up to €250,000 for joint commercial projects
