Antananarivo, Madagascar

A network of six Agribusiness Centers (ABCs) in six regions of Madagascar was established in 2006-2007 with financial support of The United States Millennium Challenge Account (MCA)-Madagascar. Their mission: “provide a range of services to rural producers and entrepreneurs related to improved production, marketing and business practices (finding new markets and the ability to attract new resources to respond to market opportunities) and profitability”. Yet despite a promising start, the ABCs have struggled to fully achieve these objectives.

Crimson is working with MCA through the newly initiated Madagascar Technical Assistance for the Implementation of the ABCs Services and Strategies in Rural Agribusiness Development Program (ABIP) to address these issues. Crimson has provided technical assistance to the NCC-ABC business center network by drafting a two year business plan that includes an overall strategy component, objectives for the overall network, an M&E framework, and by developing tools and directives to help adapt the general NCC network business plan to specific ABCs.

The new ABC National Business Plan offers a strategic roadmap for the evolution and development of the ABCs from a MCA-Madagascar agricultural development project into an increasingly financially self-sustaining network of agricultural business development services, all of which meet the same high quality standards of services, facilitate the attraction of private investment, and help to better link Malagasy products into new national and international markets.

Crimson Capital is a subcontractor to Chemonics International on this program.