Several NPM portfolio companies are members of Katakle, a group of investors committed to ending hunger in Benin. Ten years after its foundation, Katakle will make its last trip to this West African country to celebrate the fact that the communities of Avlamé, Kissamey and Bétérou have become self-reliant due, in part, to Katakle’s efforts. These communities now work so well with each other, and with their local authorities, that they can now shape their own future, free of the effects of hunger and poverty.
Katakle was founded in 2008 by The Hunger Project (THP) and NPM Capital. The Hunger Project has been working to eradicate hunger on a global basis since 1980. This has meanwhile become one of the strategic development goals (SDGs) of the United Nations and the project has had a huge impact worldwide. THP's approach is characterised by progressive, sustainable, grassroots strategies in which women play the central role. The Dutch branch of THP is active in twelve programme countries, eight of which are in Africa: Benin, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Uganda and Senegal.
The Hunger Project will go to Benin from Sunday 25 to Thursday 29 March 2018 for a special, last visit. This final celebration will be attended by a large group of Katakle investors and more than twenty musicians from the Nederlands Blazers Ensemble. The four-day trip features an intensive programme, including discussions with local entrepreneurs and the local THP staff and meetings with the leaders of various communities.
Dutch business actively supporting sustainable solutions
According to the Confederation of Dutch Industry and Employers (VNO-NCW), MKB Nederland (national SME association) and Global Impact Netherlands, Dutch companies are ideally placed to contribute to the achievement of the seventeen SDGs of the United Nations. The idea behind these development goals is that they can only be achieved through intensive cooperation between companies, governments, NGOs and knowledge institutions. And international cooperation is something that the Netherlands has traditionally been good at. Specifically for Africa, Global Impact Nederland considers it essential to establish a broad investment agenda, which will include facilitation and stimulation of private investment.
We have previously interviewed Katakle initiator Carel van Bemmelen about the Benin success story.
