CALL FOR PROPOSALS: OPEN INNOVATION CHALLENGE

Somalia Women’s Market Access Open Innovation Challenge 2025

The Open Innovation Challenge is a pivotal initiative designed to enhance agricultural innovation and empower entrepreneurs in Somalia to bring ideas to solve the challenges Somali women farmers face in accessing markets.

Women in rural Somalia play a crucial role in agriculture but face significant barriers to market access due to inadequate infrastructure, limited financial resources, limited access to agricultural land, systemic challenges, and cultural constraints. These challenges restrict their economic participation, limiting opportunities for women-led agrobusinesses to scale and thrive. Additionally, women entrepreneurs struggle with access to financing, business development services, and digital financial tools, further widening the gender gap in economic empowerment.

To address these challenges, the Rural Livelihoods Resilience Programme (RLRP) and the Somalia Food Systems Resilience Project (S-FSRP), implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation (MoAI) with support respectively from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and World Bank Group, are committed to strengthening women’s economic participation through entrepreneurship, financial inclusion, and innovative solutions. This includes improving access to credit, enhancing market linkages, and providing capacity-building initiatives to equip women with the skills needed to grow their businesses and adapt to market demands. The program also leverages digital financial services to increase financial accessibility for women, even those without internet access, while fostering community engagement and policy advocacy to create an inclusive economic environment.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation (MoAI), in collaboration with RLRP and S-FSRP, is launching the Somalia Women’s Market Access Open Innovation Challenge 2025. The goal is to identify, support, and scale innovative market access solutions that empower women agropreneurs.

For more information on the application process, requirements, and guidelines, please read the attached call for proposals document.