Apply for the SAIS Livestock Investment Readiness Programme 2027 - up to €15,000 in-kind support for African dairy and aquaculture startups.
SAIS (Scaling digital Agriculture Innovations through Start-ups) is implemented by GIZ on behalf of Germany’s BMZ and co-funded by the Gates Foundation. The 2027 livestock track is a one-year, no-equity programme for African for-profit startups using technology in dairy, aquaculture and related livestock value chains. Applications close on 15 November 2026.
The headline €15,000 is a technical-assistance budget (consultants, legal, marketing, licences, ESG, product and sales support) - not an unrestricted cash grant. Selected teams also get sponsored travel to Nairobi community events around the Sankalp Africa Summit.
Quick Facts - SAIS Livestock IRP 2027
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Host | SAIS / GIZ (BMZ), co-funded by the Gates Foundation |
| Landmark | Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), Nairobi, Kenya 🇰🇪 |
| Support | Up to €15,000 in-kind technical assistance (not cash) |
| Equity | None - no generic accelerator curriculum |
| Focus | Dairy (esp. Kenya & Ethiopia) and aquaculture (esp. Nigeria & Senegal); other African countries welcome if relevant |
| Stage | Pre-seed to Series A, at least an MVP |
| Apply by | 15 November 2026 |
| Kick-off / Nairobi | Virtual onboarding January 2027; SAIStival 22 February 2027; Sankalp Africa Summit 24 - 25 February 2027 |
| Official Gateway | Official SAIS Livestock 2027 call |
What Selected Startups Receive
- Up to €15,000 TA budget: consultancies, expert support, legal advice, online marketing, licences, certifications, ESG, product optimisation, market-entry, customer acquisition, PR, design, staff training
- Sponsored travel to two in-person community events next to Sankalp Africa Summit in Nairobi each February, plus one extra sector conference
- Invite-only investor pitches, introductions to funds, fundraising and due-diligence guidance
- A dedicated SAIS Navigator and a community of 100+ portfolio companies
Extra, if eligible later: SAIS Scale-up Grant up to €40,000; revolving working-capital loans up to €50,000 (9-month tenor, 1.5% interest). Those are not automatic with IRP selection.
SAIS says that since 2019 it has accelerated 107+ startups, with over 83% raising follow-on capital during or within a year after the programme (collectively over US$105 million). Treat those figures as the programme’s own reporting.
Who Should Apply
Priority themes:
- Dairy - animal health, genetics, feed and forage, especially East African dairy chains (Kenya, Ethiopia)
- Aquaculture - genetics and feed, especially West African chains (Nigeria, Senegal)
Startups registered elsewhere in Africa may apply if they can show that their model strengthens those value chains.
Eligibility
- For-profit company registered in Africa
- Management team of at least two people
- Fundraising stage: pre-seed through Series A
- At least an MVP (paying customers and partnerships help)
- Impact: strengthening dairy and/or aquaculture value chains
- A technology angle used to scale
What SAIS Expects From You
- A management-team contact averaging about two hours per week
- At least one person at two in-person SAIStival events
- Regular KPI updates (revenue, users, customers, funding, headcount) during the programme and for one year after
- Help with customer impact surveys
- Active work with assigned experts, including sharing business documents where needed
Timeline
- 15 November 2026 - apply
- 16 - 30 November 2026 - screening and interviews
- December 2026 - selection decision
- January 2027 - virtual kick-off
- 22 February 2027 - SAIStival, Nairobi
- 24 - 25 February 2027 - Sankalp Africa Summit, Nairobi
- March 2027 - February 2028 - TA budget, extra conference, virtual check-ins
- February 2028 - graduation at SAIStival 2028
Step-by-Step Application Process
- Read the official call on sais-accelerator.com/livestock-apply-now-for-2027.
- Confirm you are an African-registered for-profit with a two-person team, an MVP and a dairy/aquaculture tech angle.
- Submit the official form at the SAIS-GIZ Livestock IRP 2027 application by 15 November 2026.
- Keep a founder free for interviews in the second half of November.
- More about SAIS: sais-accelerator.com
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Do I receive €15,000 in cash?
No. It is an in-kind technical-assistance budget spent on agreed services (legal, marketing, experts, certifications, and similar).
Does SAIS take equity?
No.
Must I be based in Kenya or Nigeria?
Priority geographies are East African dairy (Kenya, Ethiopia) and West African aquaculture (Nigeria, Senegal), but other African-registered startups may apply if their work strengthens those chains. Nairobi events are part of the programme.
Is this the Johns Hopkins SAIS scholarship?
No. This SAIS is GIZ’s Scaling digital Agriculture Innovations through Start-ups programme, not the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
