Agriculture, forestry and fishing

Applications are open for companies in the agro-processing sector to participate in the South African Pavilion at Gulfood - the largest food and beverage trade exhibition in the Middle East. Gulfood 2026 will showcase food and beverage products from around the world. South Africa will participate in the Fine Food Pavilion, which showcases agro-processing products and services, excluding beverages and meat.

The Seeding The Future Global Food System Challenge 2025 is now open for applications, inviting innovators worldwide to submit transformative, science-driven solutions that can reshape the global food system. Hosted by Welthungerhilfe (WHH) and funded by the Seeding The Future Foundation (STF), the Challenge is one of the world’s leading platforms supporting breakthrough ideas that advance food security, sustainability, and equitable access to nutritious food.

The Sustainability Open Innovation Challenge (SOIC) 7th Edition is a global innovation programme led by Enterprise Singapore that invites startups, SMEs, corporates, public researchers and other innovators to co-develop practical, scalable sustainability solutions with leading industry partners. Now in its seventh year, the challenge connects solution providers with corporates seeking innovation in five key themes: Renewable Energy, Offshore Wind, Greener Industries, Sustainable Agrifood and Sustainable Materials.

The African Bank MSME Capacity Building Programme is a 12‑month comprehensive initiative designed to strengthen the capabilities and competitiveness of South African micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) across a wide range of sectors. The programme targets black‑owned businesses that are ready to grow, create jobs and contribute meaningfully to the economy, but need structured support, mentorship and market access to reach the next level.

Sustainable Energy (SE) development is crucial for Africa and Europe’s green energy transition, enabling them to tackle the global challenge of climate change. Providing reliable and clean energy access to millions of people worldwide is necessary. To this end, the Long-Term Joint EU-AU Research and Innovation Partnership on Sustainable Energy (LEAP-SE) program, co-funded by the European Commission (EC) under Horizon Europe, aims to develop a long-term partnership between Europe and Africa in Research and Innovation (R&I) on sustainable energy.

The IKI Small Grants programme, part of Germany’s International Climate Initiative (IKI), provides targeted support to local, national, and regional organisations in ODA-eligible countries to implement impactful climate and biodiversity projects. Funding ranges from €60,000 to €200,000 per project, with the aim to strengthen local resilience, support ecosystem protection, and address climate change at the frontline where impacts are most severe. Projects focus on climate change mitigation, adaptation, conservation of natural carbon sinks (REDD+), and biodiversity protection.

The IKI (International Climate Initiative) Large Grants offer substantial funding (5 to 20 million euros per project) to address pressing global challenges in climate change mitigation, climate adaptation, and biodiversity conservation. The grants are awarded annually based on strategic themes linked to UNFCCC and CBD negotiations and IKI’s 2030 Strategy, with a strong focus on projects that also foster bilateral cooperation with priority countries.

As part of the UNDP initiative “Leveraging Agri-Tech and AI for Sustainable Agricultural and Export Development in South Africa,” this Acceleration Programme is designed to empower 50 South African Agri-Tech and Aqua-Tech SMEs with a commitment to at least 50% women-led participation. The programme provides technical support, market access, mentorship, growth enablement, and financial investment to pioneering entrepreneurs and small businesses.

Programme Objectives:

MCV’s AI for Financial Resilience initiative is pioneering the development and deployment of game-changing financial solutions tailored for unbanked and underbanked populations in emerging markets, focusing on Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and Asia. As 1.4 billion people worldwide remain excluded from the formal financial system predominantly women, immigrants, and rural, low-income citizens, this program responds to long-standing barriers such as limited access, lack of identification or credit history, high service delivery costs, technology skepticism, and climate vulnerability.