Five African businesses working across agriculture, natural ingredients, aquaculture and sustainable production have been selected for a new investment-readiness programme targeting a combined US$10 million in fundraising, highlighting the commercial opportunities emerging at the intersection of environmental sustainability and economic development.
The businesses form the first cohort of the Nature-First Innovation Lab (NFIL), a 12-month initiative announced in Nairobi on 27 October 2026. The programme is led by FSD Africa in partnership with Systemiq and the African Natural Capital Alliance, with support from UK International Development and Norway’s development cooperation agency, Norad.
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The selected enterprises are Acacia EPZ and ForestFoods in Kenya, Forested, which operates across East Africa, Tanzania’s NovFeed and Ghana’s Savanna Agri Chains.
The US$10 million represents the cohort’s collective fundraising target. It is not funding already raised or guaranteed. Through grants, financial planning, governance support and assistance measuring environmental outcomes, the programme aims to prepare the businesses to attract investment and expand their operations.
The initiative addresses a challenge facing many African enterprises: businesses can demonstrate commercial potential yet struggle to secure capital because their financial systems, governance structures and investment proposals are not sufficiently developed for investor scrutiny.
Turning natural assets into economic value
Africa’s economic prospects are closely connected to the health of its natural resources. Agriculture, food production, forestry and numerous rural industries depend on productive land, reliable water supplies and functioning ecosystems. Research cited by FSD Africa and McKinsey Sustainability estimates that 62 per cent of the continent’s gross domestic product depends on nature.
For African economies, the opportunity is to build enterprises that generate revenue while managing the natural assets on which production depends. Achieving this requires more than environmental commitments; businesses must demonstrate that their models are commercially viable and that their environmental benefits can be credibly measured.
The five enterprises illustrate different ways of pursuing this opportunity.
Kenya’s Acacia EPZ supplies gum arabic, a natural ingredient used in food, beverages, medicines and other products. The company works with more than 12,000 collectors across northern Kenya, around 70 per cent of whom are women. Its model connects international demand for natural ingredients with income-generating activities linked to acacia trees and the landscapes where they grow.
Forested sources honey, beeswax, shea butter and oils through smallholder supply chains in Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda. Its approach links agricultural livelihoods with regenerative production and markets for natural ingredients.
In Tanzania, NovFeed converts organic waste into protein-rich fish feed and fertiliser. By creating marketable products from discarded materials, the company connects waste recovery with aquaculture and agriculture. It distributes its products through more than 300 shops and distributors, according to the programme announcement.
Ghana’s Savanna Agri Chains sources shea butter and baobab products, working with more than 1,000 women harvesters across 22 districts. Its proposed expansion into additional districts in Ghana and Burkina Faso could widen commercial opportunities for producers if growth is supported by dependable markets, traceability and fair procurement arrangements.
ForestFoods, meanwhile, is developing a business model based on syntropic agroforestry, which integrates trees and crops to support food production alongside the regeneration of agricultural land.
From promising businesses to investable enterprises
The programme’s significance lies in its attempt to address the gap between early-stage support and commercial investment. Stronger financial management, credible environmental measurement and effective governance can help investors assess both the risks and the potential returns of nature-based businesses.
However, investment readiness does not guarantee funding. Each enterprise will still need to demonstrate that it can grow sustainably, compete in its markets and deliver measurable results.
For Africa, the wider opportunity is to develop value chains that retain more economic value locally, create income opportunities and strengthen the resilience of production systems. This will depend on how successfully businesses move beyond exporting raw materials towards higher-value processing, stronger local supply networks and lasting commercial relationships.
The Nature-First Innovation Lab offers one pathway towards that objective. Its success should ultimately be measured not simply by the amount of capital raised, but by whether participating businesses grow, expand market access and sustain the natural resources and livelihoods that underpin their operations.
