ENTERPRISE Zambia 2.0
Matching grants and practical support for established Zambian agri-food businesses that work with smallholder farmers. Find out in a few minutes whether this is for you.
Applying is free. Nobody will ever ask you to pay for an application or a grant.
ENTERPRISE Zambia 2.0 programme photography
Closes Saturday 28 November 2026 at 10:12 Africa/Lusaka. 41 days left.
Funding is matched, so the programme invests alongside you rather than instead of you. Figures below are for the call that is open now.
EUR available per project, as a matching grant
Lusaka, Central, Copperbelt, North-Western
Minimum uninterrupted trading in Zambia at the date you apply
legumes and horticulture, plus other value chains with strong potential for smallholders
Established, for-profit agri-food businesses registered in Zambia, already trading for at least two years, that buy from or sell to smallholder farmers.
That includes production and contract farming, out-grower schemes, processing and value addition, agro-input supply, logistics, aggregation, storage, market access, digital agriculture and climate-smart technology.
You do not need a physical presence in a target province if you have a genuine supply link to one, such as sourcing from producers based there or supplying inputs to them.
Check your eligibility
Funding comes with preparation and technical support. Before you submit a full application, your business goes through a diagnostic, a boot camp, and targeted help with whatever gaps that uncovers.
The aim is a stronger proposal and a stronger business, whether or not you are funded in the end. Taking part in preparation is not an award and does not guarantee one.
The programme runs two facilities. They have different sizes and different co-investment expectations, so check which one fits.
Operated by Luvent Consortium with GIZ Open
Targeted matching grants to established agri-food businesses, with capital investments of up to EUR 1,000,000 and a required 50% co-investment.
Operated by World Vision Zambia Not currently open
Micro-grants to enterprises, delivered by World Vision Zambia with Avencion and VisionFund Zambia.
No call is published for this facility yet.
Six stages, from creating an account to a decision. You are told where you stand at each one, and nothing moves forward without a person deciding it.
Register with your name, a working email address and your organisation details. If your business already has a record with us, your account is linked to it rather than creating a second one.
Stage reference G01
A short form that checks whether your business meets the minimum requirements. Your answers save as you work, so you can stop and come back. When you submit you get a receipt with a reference number.
Stage reference G02
Our team checks that everything needed is there, then assesses your business against each eligibility requirement in turn. If something is unclear we ask you a specific question rather than turning you away.
Stage reference G03 and G05
Eligible businesses join a preparation programme: a diagnostic of your business, a boot camp, and targeted support where there are gaps to close. Taking part is not an award of funding and does not guarantee one.
Stage reference G06 to G09
Once you are confirmed ready, the full application opens in your account. Answers you already gave are carried over so you do not retype them. You describe the project, the budget, the co-financing and the expected benefit to smallholder farmers.
Stage reference G10 and G11
At least two independent reviewers score your application against a published scorecard. An investment committee then considers it and makes a recommendation. The final decision is taken separately by an authorised approver, and you are told the outcome either way.
Stage reference G12 to G19No fee is charged at any stage, and nobody acting for this programme will ask you for money, a gift or a favour in exchange for an application, a place on the preparation programme, or a grant.
If anyone asks you for a payment, do not pay. Report it to EnterpriseZambia@luvent-consulting.com. Trying to obtain information or support outside the published process leads to disqualification.
Being found eligible, joining preparation, being invited to submit a full application, or being recommended by the investment committee are each separate from an award.
Funding is confirmed only when an authorised decision is recorded and sent to you in writing, and it will carry conditions that must be met before any agreement is signed.
No. Applying is free at every stage. Nobody acting for this programme will ever ask you for a payment, a fee or a gift in exchange for an application, a place on the preparation programme, or a grant. If anyone asks you for money, do not pay, and report it to the helpdesk straight away.
No. Progressing to preparation, being invited to submit a full application, or being recommended by the committee are all separate from an award. Funding is only confirmed when an authorised decision is recorded and communicated to you in writing, and even then it carries conditions that must be met before any agreement is signed.
This is a matching grant, so you contribute part of the project cost yourself. Your share can be a blend of cash, credit, equity from your own funds, and in-kind contributions. In-kind contributions must be independently verifiable, must be directly needed for the project, and are capped as a share of your total contribution. You cannot count the same asset towards another donor's matching requirement.
Possibly. You do not need a physical presence in a target province if you have a supply link to one, for example if you source or aggregate from producers based there, or supply inputs to them. Describe the link clearly in your application.
Not-for-profit organisations, microfinance institutions and government bodies cannot apply as lead applicant, though they may take part as implementing partners or associates. Public limited companies, state-owned enterprises and companies led by employees of public bodies are not eligible. Cooperatives, sole traders and partnerships cannot apply, though cooperatives and other producer organisations can be contracted by an applicant. Projects cannot support the tobacco value chain.
Yes, and you should disclose it. A past breach of the law or an allegation of corruption does not automatically rule your organisation out. What matters is that you disclose it openly so it can be assessed properly. Concealing it is far more damaging than declaring it.
Submission closes at the exact time published, measured by our server clock, with no grace period. Submit well before the deadline, particularly if you are uploading documents on a slow connection. You can still sign in and read your application after the deadline; only the ability to submit closes.
You can ask for a decision to be reviewed. A complaint is handled as a separate case by someone independent of the original decision, and the original decision and its evidence are kept on file either way. Contact the helpdesk to start this.
Your company information is used to assess your application, including pre-award checks. It is held in line with the privacy notice published with the call, and is retained for a defined period after the end of the support period. Bank details and identity documents are held under restricted access and are masked in general reports.
Yes. Tell us what you need and we will arrange it. Preparation activities have alternative and remote options, and a business that cannot attend a session for practical reasons is not penalised for that. The same applies to presenting to the investment committee.
The programme exists so that more smallholder farmers reach markets on better terms. ENTERPRISE Zambia 2.0 programme photography.
The eligibility check takes a few minutes and nothing is saved or submitted. If it looks promising, you can go straight on to register.
Need help? Email EnterpriseZambia@luvent-consulting.com. All deadlines are shown in Africa/Lusaka and close at the exact time stated.