Project: Scoping study and Strategic Plan (2022-2027) for Heifer’s Interventions in the Sahelian Africa Countries

Client: HEIFER International

Region: Sahel (Mali, Burkina Faso, Northern Nigeria, Senegal, Mauritania, and Northern Cameroon)

The ALG Approach:

The consultancy, implemented by ALG employed a comprehensive and consultative approach to deliver a five-year strategic and operational plan for Heifer International in the Sahel. The methodology was structured around the following key phases:

1. Situational and Contextual Analysis: The initial phase focused on a deep dive into the current landscape of development in the Sahel. This involved:
   • Situational Analysis: Reviewing and assessing ongoing development programs and interventions relevant to Heifer’s mandate across the region.
   • Comprehensive Data Collection and Analysis: Gathering and analyzing specific information across critical sectors, including the Multiple uses of water, Livestock, Agriculture, and Governance. This involved mapping production players, systems, supply, limiting factors, costs, and value addition across all links of the value chain, from production to end market.
2. Stakeholder and Market Mapping: A rigorous process was undertaken to understand the ecosystem in which Heifer would operate.
   • Exhaustive Stakeholders’ Mapping and Analysis: Identifying and analyzing key actors aligned with Heifer’s mission, including private sector entities, bilateral/multilateral agencies. This phase focused on understanding their activities, challenges, and lessons learned.
   • Value Chain Opportunity Assessment: Collecting and analyzing relevant market information, exploring potential market channels, and conducting a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) for key value chains. This critical step specifically targeted production and marketing systems to identify opportunities for efficiency and growth.
3. Strategic Framework Development (Consultative Process): Leveraging the insights from the analysis, a participatory approach was used to define Heifer’s future direction.
   • Focus Area Identification: Through a consultative process and application of appropriate analytical tools, the team identified focus areas, thrust areas of intervention, long-term goals, strategic objectives, and key result areas for Heifer International.
   • Strategy and Implementation Plan Formulation: The consultant proposed a detailed strategy highlighting the strategic axes, strategic lines of action, and the implementation plan required to achieve the defined objectives and results.
4. Monitoring, Evaluation, and Resource Mobilization: To ensure the plan’s viability and success, the final phase addressed accountability and sustainability.
   • M&E Framework Development: Proposing comprehensive monitoring and evaluating strategies, including the development of a Theory of Change, a detailed Result Framework, and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
   • Resources Framework: Developing a robust budget, identifying potential sources of funding, and articulating a well-defined strategy for partnership and resource mobilization for the plan period.
5. Validation and Finalization: The draft plan was subjected to a rigorous validation process, including stakeholder meeting(s) and inception workshop(s) in the Sahel, before being finalized and submitted to Heifer International.

Key Insights for Heifer International:

The study was specifically designed to provide Heifer with the actionable intelligence required to make informed decisions about resource allocation in a complex region.

• Geographical Prioritization: The analysis covering Mali, Burkina Faso, Northern Nigeria, Senegal, Mauritania, and Northern Cameroon was intended to generate clear outcomes and recommendations enabling Heifer to strategically decide on which of these countries to focus resources.
• Market-Led Interventions: The in-depth value chain analysis and SWOT assessment provided insight into high-potential market channels which, if fully exploited, could significantly contribute to production and market efficiency. The subsequent proposal for improvement strategies, factoring in costs, added value, and investment needs, offered a roadmap for sustainable economic growth.
• Ecosystem Leverage: The exhaustive stakeholder mapping provided insight into potential partners and collaborators (private sector, bilaterals, multilaterals), allowing Heifer to strategically position its interventions to leverage existing programs and avoid duplication, while also learning from the key challenges and lessons of other actors in the region.