Sahel Capital, a prominent investor in the food and agriculture sector in sub-Saharan Africa, has successfully approved a US$500,000 CAPEX loan from its Social Enterprise Fund for Agriculture in Africa (SEFAA) facility. Launched in 2021 with KfW as the anchor investor, SEFAA aims to stimulate economic activities among smallholder farmers by empowering the social enterprises that engage with them.
Geneplus is a Kenyan-based company specializing in high-quality livestock genetics, providing dairy farmers with sexed and unsexed cattle semen to help improve herd productivity and boost milk yields. Since its inception in 2017, Geneplus has distributed advanced genetic products, including semen from top-performing dairy bulls, ensuring farmers can access superior genetics for breeding. The company also supplies liquid nitrogen for semen preservation, along with animal nutrition supplements and hormones to support optimal reproductive outcomes. Founded by Dr. Chris Silali, a veterinarian with over 28 years of expertise in animal genetics, Geneplus has served more than 220,000 dairy farmers, including 15,328 directly engaged through its innovative last-mile distribution platform.
"Dairy farming is one of Kenya's largest agricultural sectors, with an estimated annual production of over 4 billion liters of milk, 80% of which comes from smallholder farmers. Despite its importance to the Kenyan economy, the dairy sector faces several challenges, including low productivity, poor breed characterization, and inadequate breeding services. Through this investment, we aim to support Geneplus in providing high-quality animal semen, which will enhance the genetic quality of cattle, thereby improving both the quantity and quality of milk production," stated Deji Adebusoye, a Partner at Sahel Capital.
Dr. Chris Silali, Founder and CEO of Geneplus, expressed enthusiasm for the investment support, stating, "This funding will empower us to scale our operations, expand our reach to more farmer groups and cooperatives, and drive further innovation. With SEFAA's backing, we are poised to continue delivering value to our customers and communities, while pushing the boundaries of success."
Sahel Capital currently manages two funds: Fund for Agricultural Finance in Nigeria (“FAFIN”), which has investments in SME agribusinesses in Nigeria, and Social Enterprise Fund for Agriculture in Africa (“SEFAA”), which provides primarily structured debt to agribusiness SMEs across 13 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Sahel Capital is also raising capital for a successor fund – Sahel Capital Agribusiness Fund II, which will focus on investment opportunities across West Africa.