Inga Jacobs-Mata, one of the visionaries behind the Scaling Hub addressing participants during the launch in Nairobi, Kenya. Photo Credit: ILRI
By Murimi Gitari, February 14, 2025, In a landmark move to boost agricultural innovation across Africa, the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) has unveiled its new Regional East and Southern African Scaling Hub in Kenya. This initiative marks a significant stride in ensuring that science-based agricultural solutions reach and benefit farmers and other stakeholders throughout the continent.
Speaking during its launch at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) Nairobi Campus, Inga Jacobs-Mata, one of the visionaries behind the Hub, emphasized its transformative potential saying that the hub provides a physical space for CGIAR and scaling partners to co-locate and together, develop the most effective scientific solutions for Africa by Africa.
“We want to push the science frontier in advancing ‘science for the last mile’ – how to get innovations taken up and scaled in cheaper, better, faster, more inclusive, and sustainable ways. The Hub will therefore provide an environment of innovative and synergistic thinking, vibrant interactions, creativity, and collaborative problem-solving,” Inga said.
The hub is set to enhance collaboration, knowledge exchange, and innovation scaling through robust multi-stakeholder partnerships. It will connect diverse scaling actors, including farmers, farmer cooperatives and associations, government, International Financial Institutions (IFIs), National Agricultural Research and Extension Systems (NARES), national and international universities, civil society organizations, youth agricultural influencers, and the private sector.
Part of the new CGIAR Portfolio for 2025-2030, the Scaling Hub is embedded within the Scaling for Impact Program. By 2030, the program aims to leverage systems and financing to support over 62 million people, including 30% women, youth, marginalized, and underrepresented groups. It is anticipated to create or enhance 250,000 jobs and provide healthier diets for 480,000 people, half of whom will be women.
The Regional Scaling Hub will serve as a cornerstone for the Scaling for Impact Program in the region, providing a physical space for experts and scaling talents to collaborate across various organizations and disciplines.
Appolinaire Djikeng, Director General for the International Livestock Research Institute, highlighted the importance of the hub: “For CGIAR, it is imperative that we ensure that our solutions for small-scale farmers are appropriate and can be used by different partners to go to scale. This new scaling hub will allow these innovations to be deployed at scale by bringing partners into a dynamic co-design process.”
With the establishment of the Regional East and Southern African Scaling Hub, CGIAR is poised to drive substantial advancements in agricultural science and innovation across the continent, fostering a sustainable and prosperous future for Africa.
