The Grow Africa partnership was founded jointly by the African Union (AU), the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD Agency) and the World Economic Forum in 2011. Grow Africa works to increase private sector investment in agriculture, and accelerate the execution and impact of investment commitments. The aim is to enable countries to realize the potential of the agriculture sector for economic growth and job creation, particularly among farmers, women and youth.

Grow Africa facilitates collaboration between governments, international and domestic agriculture companies, and smallholder farmers in order to lower the risk and cost of investing in agriculture, and improve the speed of return to all stakeholders. Grow Africa helps establish value chain specific multi-stakeholder partnerships at the national level and engages locally through these companies.  The broader Grow Africa network includes farmer, civil society, development, and research organizations.

Grow Africa’s work is fully anchored within the national and continental policy architecture of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), which to improve food and nutrition security, and increase incomes in Africa’s largely farming-based economies. CAADP, which is a NEPAD Agency programme, aims to achieve this by raising agricultural productivity and increasing public and private investment in agriculture.

Grow Africa is headquartered at the NEPAD Agency offices in Johannesburg and operates under the leadership of the NEPAD Agency Chief Executive Officer who reports into a Steering Committee comprised of members of Grow Africa’s core stakeholder groups. A secretariat team based in Johannesburg provides services across Grow Africa’s member countries.