AFRICA IMPROVED FOODS
2 | Africa Outlook issue 90
FOOD & DRINK
Nourishing Rwanda Built around the ethical aim of combatting malnutrition and providing quality sustenance to millions across the continent, we speak to Africa Improved Foods and its Country Director, Prosper Ndayiragije, about the company’s mission and purpose Writer: Marcus Kääpä | Project Manager: Kyle Livingstone
The Rwanda food industry is growing, and agricultural value chains are being improved significantly day by day; it is exciting to be part of that transformation. Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of the right nutrition and food safety.” Within Rwanda, Africa Improved Foods (AIF) stands as a key organisation battling malnutrition in the country. AIF is a publicprivate partnership involving DSM, Government of Rwanda, IFC, CDC Group and FMO, and provides a scalable and sustainable solution to malnutrition via local production of highly nutritious foods. Africa Outlook issue 90 | 3
AFRICA IMPROVED FOODS
NOOTRI TOTO
“IT’S NOT JUST A SPOONFUL OF MULTIGRAIN PORRIDGE, IT’S A SPOONFUL OF IMPROVED COGNITIVE SKILLS, AND IT’S A SPOONFUL OF OPTIMAL PHYSICAL ABILITY. WE PLACE SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON THE FIRST 1,000 DAYS OF A CHILD’S LIFE” – PROSPER NDAYIRAGIJE, COUNTRY DIRECTOR, AIF AIF is a social enterprise and embedded in its business model is a comprehensive strategy to reduce poverty, create jobs and address stunting and malnutrition through partnerships with nonprofit institutions, such as WFP and governments, as well as making affordable commercial products for the mass market. Long-term contracts are in place to serve WFP and Government of Rwanda. “We serve institutional customers (such as WFP, Government Nutrition Programmes, and others) and general consumer markets through our 4 | Africa Outlook issue 90
Nootri Toto is a delicious cereal-based porridge with milk enriched with the vitamins and minerals necessary for a child’s early nutrition needs. Nootri Toto is designed for infants who are six months to two years old to provide them with a protein and calcium boost, and the product is enriched with vitamins and minerals. Vitamins A (for eyes), B6 and E (for a healthy nervous system), B12 (for heathy red blood cells), C (for healthy bones), D (for healthy muscles), Calcium (for bones), Iron (for blood) and Zinc (for the immune system).
“Nootri” branded products,” begins Prosper Ndayiragije, Country Director at AIF, and iterator of the opening statement. “The Nootri range is a set of porridge flours made for the whole family. They have been enriched with the relevant vitamins, minerals and proteins required for the healthy growth of children and to give you the energy you need to get through the day. These products are produced from locally grown mixed grains of soy, maize, whole wheat, millet and sorghum.” And what sets AIF apart from the competition is the nutritional value and high quality of these products. Through the company’s Nootri Products, every spoonful counts to health.
Q-Sourcing Servtec Group Q-Sourcing Servtec Rwanda is a human capital management firm that is built to meet the evolving needs of local and international companies. They provide critical HR solutions like talent sourcing, placement & overall management. Q-Sourcing Rwanda maintains a vibrant, ever-growing pipeline of talent that is ready to work across industries that businesses of all sizes can tap into it to find the employees they need. In addition, they relieve employers of all the pains of compensation management and enable them to continuously monitor their employee sentiment via pulse surveys, meetings, anonymous surveys, and other innovative methods that allow companies to anticipate turnover and adapt their policies to employee preferences in order to manage turnover. Legal compliance is also a key competency of their team of experts in local employment laws and regulations who help companies to create their HR processes while complying with the local labour laws or finetune their existing processes to ensure that everything is above the board. Another critical area of focus at Q-Sourcing Rwanda is workplace Health & Safety. Through trainings, documentation & a collaborative development of processes, they help companies to ensure that all Health and Safety requirements are met. Q-Sourcing Rwanda is an all-in-one package for the business looking to simplify and refine their human resource management function as well as the talented, ambitious professional looking to give their best on the job in return for the best rewards
FROM THE ROOTS AIF implements a value chain approach to develop local maize and soy farming to a much higher standard. Any profit the organisation may make that is above a basic commercial return is given back to
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Q-Sourcing Servtec Group is East Africa’s leading Human Capital Management Firm operating in Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and South Sudan, and is a member of the Servtec international group. Q-Sourcing has been operating in Rwanda since 2009 providing customized HR solutions that enable businesses to transform in a fast changing world of work by sourcing, assessing, developing and managing the people, systems & technology that enable them to unlock their highest potential. Over the last 15 years, Q Sourcing has served several clients locally, regionally, and internationally and they range across different sectors including but not limited to: Construction, Agriculture & Food Processing, Oil & Gas, Energy, FMCGs, INGO & NGOs, Hospitality, ICT, Manufacturing, Government Parastatals, Logistics, Financial Firms among others.
Core service lines include; • Recruitment services (Local & International) • Employee/Manpower Management Services • Integrated Projects Management Solutions (Productivity Based Manpower) • Health and Safety (Training, Assessment and Certification) • Other Customized HR Consultancies
MTN Centre 2nd Floor KG 9 Avenue, Nyarutarama
@QSSRwanda
+250784432224 / +250783025030 / +250783425380
Q-Sourcing Servtec Rwanda
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Q-Sourcing Servtec Rwanda
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AFRICA IMPROVED FOODS
Interfood Group The Interfood Group is a leading global dairy supplier, facilitating the distribution of over 1.000.000 MT of dairy products per annum. With 50 years of dairy experience, 14 offices spread over all continents, and over 330 employees performing specialized services, Interfood has a unique perspective on dairy. Our product range consists of products such as cheese, milk powders, butter and AMF, liquid milk products, proteins, and many more. Interfood’s accounts are multinationals in the food industry, dairy producers and processors, government institutions and importers / distributors all over the globe.
NOOTRI MAMA Nootri Mama is a highly nutritious cereal-based porridge rich in vitamins and minerals that are necessary for a child’s early development. Pregnant mothers are recommended to consume Nootri Mama from the first day of conception. Consistent consumption of Nootri Mama is recommended for mothers until the child turns two years old. the Government of Rwanda to fund further nutritional programmes. It is this ethical mission and practice in business that led Ndayiragije to AIF. “I have been with Africa Improved Foods from idea conception to implementation,” he tells us proudly. “I am very much interested in this industry because of what we do. AIF is not just a business; its industry very much impacts people’s lives for the better. In our case we improve nutrition to prevent and fight malnutrition and especially stunting.” Ndayiragije’s previous experience crossed multiple disciplines including corporate finance, strategy, business planning, 6 | Africa Outlook issue 90
Nootri Mama is enriched with minerals that help a baby’s bones, teeth, heart, muscles and nerves develop and help carry oxygen from a mother’s lungs to the rest of their body. Humans need twice as much iron during pregnancy than prior to pregnancy. The body requires this iron to make more blood so that it can carry oxygen to a baby. Babies need iron to make their own blood, and vitamins that help prevent birth defects of the brain and spine.
Whether for customers or suppliers, our goal has always been clear; to deliver better products, better services and informed insights about the industry. But our goals go further – beyond our core offerings and business aspiration; we are committed to contribute to a sustainable planet, where we can all enjoy dairy responsibly, now and in the future. Thriving on close collaboration and long-term ties with our business partners, we hone our skills and focus on strategic alignment. Striving for better, every single day. Together for better.
“Interfood has been our trusted supplier and partner from the early days when AIF Rwanda was starting its operations, supplying us reliably with Skimmed Milk Powder of high quality. They are a partner we can count on.” Prosper Ndayiragije, Country Manager, AIF Rwanda. Would you like to know more? Please contact our commercial team Africa. www.interfood.com/en/ contact-form
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A unique perspective on global dairy Resourced from nature. Enriching the lives of many.
your dairy supplier to Africa for over 20 years Full cream milk powder Skimmed milk powder Sweet whey powder Fatfilled milk powder
* Countries in green are the countries where Interfood has done business
For further information, our commercial team Africa is at your disposal. Andrew Njinembo Njiala
Bart-Jan Dohmen
Yanis Fodil
anjiala@interfood.com
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yfodil@interfood.com
+31 6 19 29 54 89
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AFRICA IMPROVED FOODS value chains, geo-politics, advocacy and governance, public relations, and on top of all these gained a broad understanding of publicprivate partnerships. Ndayiragije’s 15 years of industry experience has given him the privilege of working
across Africa, Europe and Asia, for many multinational companies and organisations. Now he is part of a company of 470 permanent employees dedicated to the common goal of fighting malnutrition.
NOOTRI FAMILY Nootri Family (sorghum, wheat, millet) is a delicious multigrain nutritious porridge designed for the whole family. It is produced from premium grade 100 percent non-GMO. Nootri Family is enriched with Vitamins A, B6, B12, C, E and D, Zinc and Iron, and it provides balanced nutrition: • It nourishes bodies with essential vitamins for healthy eyes and skin, a healthy nervous system and immune function. • Provides minerals: iron for blood cell formation and zinc for growth and development.
DSM At DSM, we know that creating brighter lives for 4 billion undernourished people takes solid experience, technical expertise, and passion at every stage of the development process. That’s why we constantly innovate affordable, aspirational, and accessible nutritional solutions, which include micronutrient premixes applicable to staple foods, therapeutic and emergency foods as well as market-ready solutions like multiple micronutrient supplements (MMS), micronutrient powders (MNPs) and extruded fortified rice kernels (FK). Thus empowering our customers’ products to change lives anywhere in the world. This takes more than ingredients. It takes a partner.
• Provides proteins that act as the building blocks for bones, muscles, skin and blood. • Helps boost the digestive process in the body and improves the overall metabolism.
8 | Africa Outlook issue 90
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FOOD & DRINK H O
Where others see
PRODUCT we see
We see a world without malnutrition, and we can't do it without you. Together we can embrace our full potential as a purpose-led, end-to-end partner.
BEHIND OPERATIONS “Sourcing locally is an integral component of AIF’s mission due to the far-reaching socio-economic impact it affords in terms of support to the local economy and improved standards of living along the value chain,” Ndayiragije explains. “Sustainable and scalable sourcing is critical to our operations hence the need for rock-solid relations with the farmers we work with, especially locally. Localising our supply chain represents a tremendous opportunity to help the environment. Reductions in shipping and storage contribute immensely to bringing down emissions and energy usage.” AIF recently adopted a new sourcing model dubbed the “cob model” in which AIF in collaboration with its stakeholders undertakes most of the post-harvest activities alleviating the burden from the farmers and reducing post-harvest losses.
PURPOSE
“OUR PRODUCTS ARE ENRICHED WITH THE RELEVANT VITAMINS, MINERALS AND PROTEINS REQUIRED FOR THE HEALTHY GROWTH OF CHILDREN” – PROSPER NDAYIRAGIJE, COUNTRY DIRECTOR, AFRICA IMPROVED FOODS “The cob model has eliminated major quality challenges – particularly aflatoxin,” Ndayiragije elaborates. “As a result, rejection rates of local maize have dropped from 90 percent to under five percent, and this not only provides market security to farmers, but also boosts their income due to reduced post-harvest costs, reduced losses, and access to premium pricing.”
“Looking ahead, our plan is to scale up our model and grow further as an African Food Champion Social Enterprise addressing hunger and malnutrition by building resilient food systems and offering consumers nutritious, aspirational, affordable, and accessible products,” he informs us. “We believe in our potential to transform Africa’s food systems and enable Africa to feed Africa.”
FOOD INTO FUTURE Into the next few years, AIF is readying to expand and spread its company mission to as many who need it as possible. Ndayiragije ends with a positively optimistic aim for the future.
Tel: (+250) 788 389516 info@africaimprovedfoods.com www.africaimprovedfoods.com
Africa Outlook issue 90 | 9
AFRICA IMPROVED FOODS RWANDA LIMITED P.O Box 766, Kigali, Rwanda, Kigali Special Economic Zone, Agri-Park, Silos Site, Plots No: E3 F2. Kigali, Rwanda. Tel: (+250) 788 389516 info@africaimprovedfoods.com www.africaimprovedfoods.com
PRODUCED BY AFRICA OUTLOOK MAGAZINE