Market-Driven Development: Rethinking the Role of Technical Assistance in African Agriculture

The Old Model Is Out of Sync

Across Africa, the agricultural sector is being called to do more with less—produce more food, generate more jobs, and drive more inclusive growth, all while donor funding declines and public extension systems struggle to adapt.

Yet too often, technical assistance (TA) still looks like it did a decade ago: a top-down transfer of knowledge, led by foreign experts, with limited links to markets, financing, or long-term sustainability.

As Africa’s food systems evolve and commercial actors take center stage, it’s time to rethink what technical assistance is for—and who it should serve.

Technical Assistance in Transition

Traditionally, TA has been viewed as a public good. It was provided by governments and donors to fill knowledge gaps, improve practices, or support policy reform. But in today’s market-driven context, TA needs to evolve into a strategic enabler of value creation.

What does this look like?

• Supporting agribusinesses and SMEs to strengthen their supplier networks—not just training farmers in isolation

• Helping farmer-based organizations build business capacity, negotiate contracts, and manage working capital

• Advising digital service providers or input companies on how to deliver bundled services to hard-to-reach clients

• Working alongside impact investors and DFIs to de-risk their portfolios by improving investees’ operational and governance capabilities

In other words, TA should move from being a standalone activity to an embedded function within broader market systems.

Why the Shift Matters

1. Sustainability Requires Market Alignment
   When TA is disconnected from commercial realities, it creates dependency. Farmer adoption rates drop once the project ends. In contrast, when TA is demand-driven—delivered in response to clear business or market needs—it has staying power.

2. Private Sector Actors Are the New Clients
   Today, it’s not just farmers or governments that need support. Agribusinesses, fintech startups, cooperatives, and logistics providers are all critical links in the agricultural value chain. They need tailored assistance to scale responsibly and inclusively.

3. Development Finance Depends on It
   Institutions like the IFC, DFC, and AGRA increasingly use blended finance models to mobilize private capital. But capital alone doesn’t build capacity. Technical assistance becomes the glue that makes investments work—by strengthening operations, ESG compliance, and impact measurement.

Lessons from the Field

Through our work in Kenya and across the region, KCL Global has seen several principles emerge:

• Embedded TA works best
  Technical support is most effective when it is built into commercial relationships—such as off-take agreements, investment deals, or platform partnerships—rather than as a parallel activity.

• Capacity strengthening is not just training
  TA must go beyond workshops. It should include coaching, systems design, financial modeling, governance support, and process transformation.

• Accountability must be mutual
  TA providers should be accountable not just to donors but to the actors they support. Clear deliverables, performance metrics, and feedback loops are essential.

• Local expertise matters
  Effective TA must be context-specific. This means investing in local consultants, African-led firms, and regional knowledge networks—not relying solely on imported models.

KCL Global’s Approach

At KCL Global, we work with donors, DFIs, and development partners to redefine technical assistance as a strategic business enabler. Our TA-related services include:

• Designing and managing performance-based TA facilities for agribusiness and food systems actors

• Embedding TA into blended finance structures and investment pipelines

• Strengthening local technical providers through coaching, co-design, and systems thinking

• Applying political economy and market analysis to ensure TA is responsive to real constraints, not just symptoms

We believe the future of TA in African agriculture lies in integration—not isolation.

Conclusion: Time to Rethink

Technical assistance will remain an essential part of agricultural development—but its form, function, and delivery must evolve.

As African agriculture becomes increasingly commercialized, TA must become more entrepreneurial, market-facing, and embedded within systems that drive real value—for farmers, enterprises, and ecosystems alike.

The question is no longer “How much TA can we deliver?” but “How can we make TA a catalyst for scalable, market-based change?”