Lotus for Agricultural Investment & Development and the Alliance together to Drive Agri-Tech Innovation in Egypt and MENA

October 29, 2024 - Lotus for Agricultural Investment & Development and the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT are proud to announce the signing of a memorandum of understanding - a strategic collaboration aimed at driving the growth of the agrifood and climate-tech ecosystem in Egypt and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The CGIAR Accelerate for Impact Platform (A4IP) - an initiative hosted within the Partnerships Unit at the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT - will lead the activities of this partnership. The collaboration focuses on co-designing and launching open innovation projects that accelerate the development of disruptive agri-tech start-ups, with a special emphasis on innovations at the pre-seed and seed stages. These innovations will enhance sector efficiency by addressing context-specific needs while also aligning with Egypt's Sustainable Agricultural Development Strategy towards 2030, Egypt's Vision 2030, and the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Areas of focus will include, but are not limited to, nanotechnology, robotics, genetic innovations, big data and precision farming, biotechnology, remote sensing, software, and smart irrigation.