By Murimi Gitari
The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) has unveiled its new Regional East and Southern African Scaling Hub in Kenya, marking a significant step in ensuring that 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, Dr Inga Jacobs-Mata, the director for water, growth and inclusion at the International Water Management Institute (IWMI)/CGIAR, said the hub provides a physical space for CGIAR and partners to work together and develop 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,” Dr Inga said. The facility is expected to enhance collaboration, knowledge exchange, and innovation scaling through robust multistakeholder partnerships. It will connect diverse actors, including farmers, farmer cooperatives and associations, governments, international financial institutions (IFIs), national agricultural research and extension systems (NARES), national and international universities, civil soci
ety organisations, youth agricultural influencers, and the private sector. The Hub is part of CGIAR’s Scaling for Impact Program, which aims to leverage systems and financing to support over 62 million people, including 30 percent women, youth, marginalised, and underrepresented groups, by 2030. It is anticipated to create or enhance 250,000 jobs and provide healthier diets for 480,000 people, half of whom will be women. Appolinaire Djikeng, the ILRI directorgeneral, highlighted the importance of the hub, saying: “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.”