• IGNITE+ Driving Institutional Change: The project is strengthening the capacity of African agricultural institutions to integrate gender and nutrition-sensitive approaches across their programs and operations—leading to tangible institutional reforms and increased support for women and smallholder farmers. 

• Partnership and Localization are Central: Through collaboration with local service providers like Inspire Decisions Consulting and Ikore International Development, IGNITE+ is scaling its impact in Nigeria by tailoring tools and technical assistance that are context-specific and locally driven. 

• Stakeholder Engagement: During the stakeholder engagement meeting, 17 institutions expressed interest in receiving tailored technical assistance support—highlighting both the project’s relevance and the growing momentum toward inclusive, sustainable agri-food systems in Nigeria.

Within Tanager’s IGNITE+ project, championing gender inclusion and improved nutrition outcomes is central in our approach to transforming food systems, reflecting our commitment to strengthening the capacity of African agricultural institutions to integrate gender and nutrition-sensitive approaches into their policies, operations, and agricultural interventions.  With the project’s footprints in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, and Tanzania, Tanager is working closely in partnership with six local service providers (LSPs) in these countries to scale IGNITE+ technical assistance in a way that ensures long-term sustainability of the project outcomes and local ownership. 

On June 4th, 2025, in Abuja, Nigeria, Tanager and its partners Inspire Decisions Consulting and Ikore International Development Limited convened key stakeholders’— including donor agencies, development partners, academia, and private sector actors for a powerful engagement on the IGNITE+ project, with a call for strategic collaboration to transform Nigeria’s agrifood system through gender and nutrition integration.  

In her opening remarks, Maureen Munjua, Tanager’s Country Representative, emphasized the central role of partnerships in advancing the project’s objectives.  

“In today’s dynamic agricultural landscape, partnerships are the cornerstone for driving lasting impact and transformative change in gender and nutrition integration,” said Munjua. She further noted, strategic collaboration and knowledge sharing are essential to catalyzing inclusive and sustainable agri-food systems across the continent.” 

Six Years of IGNITE: A Legacy of Impact

 

The IGNITE+ project builds upon the success of the IGNITE project (2018-2024), which made significant progress in addressing gender and nutrition gaps in Africa’s food system. Kemi Asumi, Gender Expert and Nigeria portfolio lead for IGNITE+, highlighted some of the project’s key achievements including:  

• Partnerships with 35 institutions across 18 countries on gender and nutrition integration. 

• Training for 756+ professionals in gender, nutrition, and Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL).  

• Over 30 tools and resources developed by Tanager experts on gender, nutrition, and MEL. 

• Increased budget allocation by 10 clients for gender and nutrition integration.  

• Strengthened leadership commitment among 70% of IGNITE clients to integrate gender and nutrition integration.  Read more on IGNITE impacts.

The project’s successes are a testament to the power of strategic partnerships and our localization approach, which have catalyzed progress in gender and nutrition integration—impacting not only African agricultural institutions but also cascading benefits to households and small-scale producers. 

Why Gender and Nutrition Integration Matters

 

A highlight of the event was a panel discussion that explored the critical role of gender and nutrition integration in transforming food systems. Olayinka Akorede, Head of Noiler business unit at  Amo Farm Sieberer Hatchery Ltd, and Lucia Matt, Program Manager at the Food Health Systems Advisory (FHSA) reflected on the institutional shifts because of IGNITE’s technical assistance, ranging from improved internal policies to revised extension strategies and enhanced organizational learning.  

“With Tanager’s support, we were able to strengthen our data systems—updating our tools, improving how we interpret field results, and capturing success stories more effectively,” said Matt. “Furthermore, Tanager’s guidance in developing a research methodology helped FHSA better understand its context and informed the design of our Phase 2 interventions,” she added.  

In the case of Amo Farm, “Tanager’s support was instrumental in developing our gender strategy,” said Akorede. “They also advised us on the importance of hiring a gender focal person, which has led to a significant increase in women’s participation—now reaching 80% in rural communities,” he added.  

As local service providers, Inspire Decisions Consulting and Ikore International Development outlined their intentions to contextualize and scale IGNITE+ service offerings to drive systemic change within Nigeria’s agri-food systems. These include institutional diagnostics; development of action plans for gender and nutrition integration at both institutional and programmatic levels; capacity-building interventions; coaching and mentorship; MEL systems strengthening and culture shift facilitation. 

Sustaining and Scaling Impact

 

Another special highlight of the day was the “clinics” session, where representatives from various agricultural institutions engaged in one-on-one discussions with the IGNITE+ team to explore potential areas of support. These interactive exchanges provided a platform for institutions to express interest in receiving tailored technical assistance on gender and nutrition integration. Impressively, 17   institutions in attendance indicated a willingness to receive such support. 

Tanager will continue to deepen collaboration with various agricultural institutions—because they are uniquely positioned to address gender and nutrition challenges, given their direct engagement with farmers, aggregators, and small and medium-sized enterprises. IGNITE+ continues to fill the capacity gaps within institutions to tackle these interrelated issues effectively. Continued capacity building, strategic partnerships, leadership buy-in, sufficient budget allocation, and institutional resilience are essential pillars for sustaining this progress—and reflect Tanager’s commitment to women’s empowerment, equitable growth, and improved nutrition outcomes. 

Are you looking for a gender and nutrition technical partner to support your organization or project? Please contact us at: kenyainfo@tanagerintl.org