Tens of thousands of low-income consumers have also gained access to affordable and nutritious food
The Head of Economic Affairs at the Embassy of the Netherlands in Ghana, Dr Rens Twijnstra, has reaffirmed his country’s commitment to supporting Ghana’s agricultural transformation beyond the conclusion of the 2SCALE programme.
Speaking at the programme’s closeout event in Accra on October 2, 2025, Dr Twijnstra described 2SCALE as one of the longest-running and most impactful agribusiness initiatives supported by the Netherlands in Africa.
“We see the Netherlands as a strategic partner for Ghana in its agricultural transformation. 2SCALE has shown how agribusiness models can become more sustainable and scalable. This programme may be closing, but it is not the end of Dutch support. We will continue to promote partnerships that make agribusiness more impactful,” he said.
He stressed that a key lesson was the need to adapt inclusive business models to local realities.
“What works in Ghana may not work the same way in Kenya or elsewhere in Africa,” he noted, adding that monitoring and evaluation systems must reflect such differences.
Dr Twijnstra also emphasised that the true measure of success would be whether business champions can sustain the models beyond donor funding.
Launched over a decade ago, the Towards Sustainable Clusters in Agribusiness through Learning in Entrepreneurship (2SCALE) programme is one of Africa’s largest agribusiness initiatives. Funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and implemented by IFDC, Bopinc and SNV, it has supported over 100,000 smallholder farmers in Ghana with access to inputs and markets, more than 50 SMEs with inclusive business models, and around 2,000 microenterprises with technical and financial assistance.
Tens of thousands of low-income consumers have also gained access to affordable and nutritious food.
Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Netherlands Embassy strengthens agricultural cooperation
Jalil Zakariah, Multi-Country Project Lead for SNV, attributed the programme’s success to its inclusive partnership approach.
“Our model was designed to make sure that small producers, distributors, and consumers, those at the bottom of the pyramid, were fully integrated into the value chain,” he explained.
He expressed confidence that local institutions and business leaders would build on 2SCALE’s achievements.
Edwin Zu-Cudjoe, Executive Director of Social Enterprise Ghana, stressed the need to sustain momentum by linking MSMEs to training, capacity-building, and investment.
He said his organisation would integrate MSMEs nurtured by 2SCALE into its network to ensure continuity and growth.
AM/MA
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