Home | Online Resources | UB Catalog | Campus Libraries | About UB Libraries | Forms | Search | Help
The African Development Foundation, a U.S. government agency which fosters economic
development in Africa, offers corporations the opportunity to join in:
Contact ADF at: (202) 673-3916 or corppartners@adf.gov http://www.adf.gov
What is ADF?
The African Development Foundation is a unique organization that promotes broad-based, sustainable development in sub-Saharan Africa. Established by Congress as a federal agency and a public corporation, ADE has funded more than 1300 projects over the past fifteen years. The Foundation supports:
Where does ADF operate?
ADF maintains a local office, staffed with African professionals, in each of the countries where it operates. It also has built a strong network of local experts to assist in enterprise development. ADF's staff and technical assistance providers know the country, speak the local language, and understand the constraints facing small businesses.
The African Development
Foundation is currently administering over 230 projects in fourteen countries:
|
Mali
Namibia Niger Senegal Tanzania Uganda Zimbabwe |
How is ADE Unique?
Unlike other development agencies, ADF works directly with African producer groups and non-governmental organizations. The Foundation does not channel any resources through governments. All ADF-funded projects are initiated by the enterprise or community group and, rather than designing projects itself, ADE works with the local partner to define the assistance it really needs. The Foundation's participatory approach assures local ownership and strong participation, and it has been shown to enhance the impact and sustainability of the investments.
What Can ADF Offer Corporations Through a Partnership?
There are several valuable things that ADE can offer corporate partners:
The African Development Foundation has extensive experience across the continent in developing micro and small enterprises, including capacity in: provision of training and technical assistance in business management, accounting, quality control, marketing, product diversification; and credit administration. ADE knows how to identify and help "grow" a small African enterprise into a dynamic business.
As a federal agency, the Foundation maintains the highest standards of accountability for funds. ADE vigorously monitors, evaluates and audits all projects it supports; and ADF works with projects to strengthen their own accounting, to ensure effective implementation, and to achieve intended results.
How Would a Corporate Partnership With ADE Work?
ADF envisions four possible types of partnerships with American corporations or financial institutions currently doing business or considering opening operations in Africa. These partnerships could include:
Joint Venture
Under a joint
venture, both parties would commit resources for a particular project and implementation
roles would be defined according to respective capabilities. For example, this
might include ADF overseeing management of a revolving loan facility funded
under the partnership and/or provision of training for entrepreneurs.
Investment Capital
As an outgrowth
of its capacity building efforts with an enterprise, ADE can help broker a commercial
bank loan or venture capital, taking a co-financier/risk guarantor role in the
enterprise. In such an arrangement, ADF would play an intermediary role, and
the corporate partner would typically earn a direct return on its investment
capital.
Fee-Based Training
Business development
in Africa is often constrained by inadequate managerial or technical skills.
ADE has fifteen years of experience in providing general and specialized training
to develop institutional and human capacity. The Foundation can provide training
needed by American companies to improve their operations or to establish franchises.
Development Fund Contributions
A corporation
may also make a tax-deductible contribution to ADF to undertake grassroots development.
This would be of benefit to companies that genuinely desire to be a good neighbor
and reinvest some of their profits in community development, including those
that have a requirement to make a contribution to a social development fund.
|
The African Development Foundation supports small producer groups to move into the global economy through development of non-traditional exports like silkworms and vanilla in Uganda, paprika in Zimbabwe, and cochineal...a red dye...in Botswana. ADE helps to "grow" micro and small enterprises into dynamic businesses with whom American companies can establish partnerships-partnerships for marketing exports, transferring technology, and providing investment capital. Percy C. Wilson,
Chairman |
ADF BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Ernest G.
Green, Chairman
Managing Director, Public Finance
Lehman Brothers
Willie Grace Campbell, Vice Chair
Marion Dawson
Carr
President & CEO
Dearfield Associates, Inc.
Henry Edward
McKoy
President
McKoy and Associates
Cecil James
Banks, Esq.
Banks, Erlanger
Susan E.
Rice
Assistant Secretary of State
Africa Bureau, Department of State
(Nominated)
Vivian Lowery
Derryck
Assistant Administrator for Africa
USAID
(Nominated)
William R.
Ford
President and CEO
Nathaniel
Fields
Vice President
[IMAGES-p.2]
Botswana—BOMOA SORGHUM MILL TRAINING PROJECT: Collecting
grain for processing.
AT
TOP: Zimbabwe: SPRING CABINET PROJECT: Members move wood on loading dock.
Zimbabwe—NYANYANA FISHING COOPERATIVE: Members examine
baskets of harvested fish.
Uganda: KABAGA SILKWORM DEVELOPMENT PROJECT: Member with cocoon
frames.
AT TOP: Guinea—WOMEN'S INDIGO TIE-DYE PROJECT: Soaking
Indigo balls.
[IMAGES-p.3]
Ghana -ASAMAN BEAD PROJECT: Diesel glass grinding machine.
AT TOP: Benin - AGT PROJECT, Measuring & bagging baby
cereal.
Zimbabwe: SPRING CABINET PROJECT: Workers plane the wood.
AT TOP: Zimbabwe - A potter at his wheel.
[IMAGES-p.4]
AT TOP: Lesotho - SEITHATI WEAVER PROJECT: Tapestry weaver
works at the loom.
Uganda - MASINDI SEED & GRAIN PROJECT: PIP bags of maize
grain are ready for delivery.
Uganda -RWENZORI VANILLA PROJECT: Project member displays
vanilla beans.
AT TOP: Ghana - JACHIE ENTERPRISE SUPPORT PROJECT.
PHOTOS
ON THE FRONT AND BACK PANELS:
Senegal—RESEARCHER SANOUSSI DAIKITE perfects his fonio
grain husking machine.
Zimbabwe: Small-scale paprika farmer.
Lesotho—SEKAMANENG
PROJECT: Member adjusts water supply & collects eggs.
Designs taken from African
Printed Textile Designs by Diane Victoria Horn, Stemmer House Publishers, Inc.
1996
For information, contact:
African Development Foundation
1400 Eye Street, Northwest
Tenth Floor
Washington, D.C. 20005 2248Tel.: (202) 673-3916 or Fax: (202) 673-3810
corppartners@adf.gov
http://www.adf.gov