In Africa, TDC provides support to organisations in the social economy, mainly to producers who are united in cooperatives or organisations. These enterprises prioritise social and/or environmental objectives over profit maximisation, enabling them to invest more in sustainable production, better working conditions and inclusive growth.

Specifically, TDC supports producer organisations active in coffee, cocoa and cashew nuts. In the following African countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Senegal, and Uganda. The aim of the support is to make these organisations more sustainable, both economically, socially and ecologically.

TDC reaches this target group in two ways:

• TDC provides direct support to producer organisations
• TDC also supports Business Support Organisations (BSOs) so that they, in turn, can better assist producer organisations. This creates a leverage effect, enabling TDC to increase its impact by also strengthening the local supply of support services for entrepreneurship.

The support offered by TDC takes two forms: on the one hand, there is a coaching programme and on the other hand TDC provides financial support.

Coaching programme

The coaching programme is a participatory and personalised coaching programme that aims to enable producer cooperatives and small businesses to take control of their own development. The coaching provides them with the resources, knowledge and skills to develop their own strategies, to do business and to innovate, thereby increasing their sales and income. TDC is convinced that this is the only way for small businesses to achieve sustainable growth. The coaching is provided on site, at the organisation, by specialists in each of these three areas:

• Marketing: The marketing coaching aims to strengthen commercial management skills so that organisations have the knowledge and tools they need to better enter markets. This includes positioning, market access, communication, sales, etc.
• Business management: Coaching in financial and business management aims to strengthen their organisational and financial management skills so that they can better manage their daily activities and financial resources.
• Sustainability: Coaching in sustainability will enable organisations to integrate issues of ecological sustainability and decent work into their day-to-day management.

Financial support

TDC also offers subsidies to producer organisations: This is financial support for the implementation of their strategy and/or action plan to make their organisation more sustainable and ensure that they (more) comply with the principles of a living income and decent work.

Goal 

Through all these actions, TDC contributes to making these organisations more sustainable. Both economically, because TDC's support professionalises their business management and ensures better market access. This makes the organisation more efficient and enables it to enter the market on better terms, thereby increasing its income. As these are social economy organisations, economic strengthening also contributes to social and environmental strengthening. When organisations are stronger, they are better able to provide services to producers, which benefits the social aspect. These organisations are important links in providing access to healthcare, education, financing, etc. These organisations are also supported in sustainable production methods, which limits the impact of their production on the environment.

The support also enables the organisations to prepare and organise themselves within the framework of European legislation on deforestation and due diligence, so that these producers can continue to access European markets.

30 organisations receive data capturing

In 2023, Enabel's TDC launched a call for applications for SMEs that want to be considered for TDC's coaching programme in human rights and environmental due diligence, marketing or business management.
In 2024, 34 organisations were selected: 30 of them will first receive a preliminary programme in data capturing. The other four are already known to TDC from previous collaborations.
This provides the organisations with relevant information and insights that they can use to strengthen their structure, but it also helps TDC to collect the necessary data that the jury needs to make a final decision on whether or not the organisation will be selected for the full coaching programme.
The jury will take place in 2025.

5 BSOs will follow the full coaching programme

Via a seperate call for proposals, 5 buiness support organisations were selected for the full TDC coaching track. This may involve strengthening content or strengthening teaching methods (techniques/methods for guidance, animation, coaching, knowledge transfer, etc.).

10 producer organisations and 8 BSOs receive financial support

They will receive a maximum of €90,000 per project, to be rolled out between 2025 and 2027.The following activities may be eligible for TDC funding:

• Calculating the gap between household income and living wages and drawing up an action plan to reduce this gap;
• Strengthening the position of producer organisations vis-à-vis primary buyers, e.g. mapping the supply chain or providing support in contract negotiations;
• Promoting climate-smart agriculture, such as agroecology, organic farming, renewable energy, etc.;
• Diversifying production for own consumption or for sale on (local) markets;
• Developing instruments for collecting and reporting data in accordance with European requirements (greater traceability)
• Implementing traceability systems, e.g. collecting geolocation data.

Want to know more about the organisations TDC supported in its previous programmes? Please check www.tdc-enabel.be > producer support > supported organisations

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