Opportunities for Gender Integration and Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture (NSA) Technical Assistance (TA) Services!
Fair & Sustainable Ethiopia plays a key role as the Local Service Provider (LSP) for IGNITE+ implementation in Ethiopia, leading partnership management and delivering technical assistance services to selected agricultural institutions.
We therefore encourage you to partner with the F&S–IGNITE+ project and benefit from systemic growth and strengthened staff capacity in gender integration and NSA promotion. If you believe that partnering with the IGNITE+ project aligns with your mission and organizational goals in advancing gender and nutrition agendas, please contact us.
Building Trust Through Partnership: F&S Journey in Delivering Technical Assistance to African Agricultural Institutions (AAIs).
Since 2021, Fair and Sustainable (F&S) has partnered with Tanager as its Local Service Provider (LSP) in Ethiopia under the Impacting Gender and Nutrition through Innovative Technical Exchange in Agriculture (IGNITE) project (2018-2024). With the launch of IGNITE+ (2024-2029) which is an extension of the IGNITE project, F&S continues to scale locally led technical assistance for gender and nutrition integration, strengthening institutional capacity and ensuring sustainable delivery beyond the project life.
A winning proposal needs a convincing budget
In today’s development cooperation landscape, resources are under pressure. Donor budgets are tightening, and competition for funding is sharper than ever. That means that a strong proposal needs more than a compelling story — it also needs a budget that inspires confidence: accurate, realistic, transparent, and fully aligned with donor requirements.
Yet, we notice that in the process many organisations face a familiar challenge: with deadlines approaching the technical teams focus on the narrative, the result chain and the negotiations with project partners. Last minute changes are pushed towards the under capacitated financial staff to be included in the budget. The result? Stress, inefficiencies, errors, or worse: missed opportunities or rejected proposals.
That’s where we can help.
Strengthening Livelihoods and Market Systems in Tigray: Lessons from the Field
In October 2025, Fair & Sustainable Consulting, represented by our colleagues [@Oscar Geerts] and [@Wolde Zewdie], joined partners to reflect on key achievements from the project “Stability and Socio-Economic Development for Vulnerable and Marginalised Communities in the Tigray Region of Ethiopia.”
This important initiative, funded by the European Commission and led by Trócaire/CST Ethiopia, is set to conclude by the end of 2025. Since its launch, the project has supported households in rebuilding their livelihoods in a region deeply affected by conflict.
IGNITE+: Women, Nutrition, and the Future of Ethiopian Agriculture
On February 18, 2025, Fair and Sustainable (F&S) in partnership with Tanager convened key stakeholders from Ethiopia’s agriculture sector at the Haile Grand Hotel in Addis Ababa to celebrate a pivotal moment—the official launch of the Impacting Gender and Nutrition through Innovative Technical Exchange in Agriculture Plus (IGNITE+) program.
This five-year initiative aims to transform African agricultural institutions by strengthening their capacity to integrate gender and nutrition-sensitive approaches into their operations and agricultural interventions—promising a lasting change for small scale producers and food system actors.
Working towards a MSD approach with CAFOD in Liberia
CAFOD and Caritas Liberia (CDOM) have been supporting cassava cultivation in Bomi County since 2021. In 2022, CAFOD Liberia and Sierra Leone and partner staff underwent training in Freetown on the Market Systems Development approach. In 2023, a joint field study was conducted, and the project was developed and implemented by Caritas Liberia (CDOM) and CAFOD. André Vording of Fair and Sustainable Consulting was contracted as a back stopper in 2024, helping develop a Theory of Change, defining indicators of change, designing baselines, and backstopping strategies.
F&S Engaged in a Project to Create Jobs for Youth in The Moroccan IT Sector
Our consultant Annelien Meerts is since April engaged as institutional and MSD expert in a project of CBI in the Moroccan IT sector. The aim of the project is to reduce youth unemployment by strengthening Moroccan IT SMEs, by developing services that support them in exporting their services and that improve their HR practices to better attract, develop and retain talented youth. A team of 4 experts: institutional and MSD experts Annelien Meerts and Heuda Guessous and IT sector experts Jack Put and Amine Zarouk are implementing the project.
Ziway Water Hyacinth Project: Closing Session Recap and Future Prospects
On the 12th of April marked a significant milestone for our collaborative efforts in the Ziway water hyacinth project as we convened for the “Closing & Way Forward” session. The gathering was a vibrant mix of stakeholders including our consortium partners—Dutch rose growers from Ziway, local government representatives, the energetic youth from the briquettes groups, and the creative women from the handicraft groups.
Closing Ceremony of the PAC-PME Program and Launch of the Mali Mentors Alliance: A Milestone in Support for Malian Entrepreneurs
On April 26, 2024 in Bamako we organized a ceremony full of emotions and celebration, marking the closing of the Growth Support Program for Malian Small and Medium Enterprises (PAC-PME). Initiated in August 2022 with the first cohort in Bamako, the PAC-PME has since extended its impact through four cohorts, including two in Bamako, one in Sikasso and one in Ségou. This ceremony not only celebrates the successes of the program but also officially inaugurates the Alliance Mali Mentors (AMM), a professional network of entrepreneur mentors, representing a new chapter in the continued support of Malian entrepreneurs. PAC-PME will continue to consolidate its results until September of this year.
Bridging the Gap: Insights from the WASH Learning Event in Ethiopia
In Ethiopia, addressing the challenges of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) is pivotal to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Despite concerted efforts by the Ethiopian government, the road to ensuring universal access to clean water and adequate sanitation remains fraught with significant challenges, including a daunting funding gap nearing US$3 billion. In response to this pressing issue, the government has underscored the critical need to raise for private capital for the WASH sector. This blog post explores a ground breaking initiative that aims to integrate the financial sector into solving these WASH challenges, culminating in a learning event that offered valuable insights and strategic directions.
