Twenty youth-led startups in South Sudan have received approximately KSh26 million from AfDB to advance climate adaptation through business.
AfDB, ICPALD and the University of Juba have completed a three-day mission assessing the performance of 20 funded youth enterprises.
Each startup received approximately KSh1.3 million, supporting youth-led ventures in agriculture, livestock, hospitality and fisheries.
Twenty youth-led startups in South Sudan have received approximately KSh26 million in seed funding from the African Development Bank (AfDB) to support businesses putting climate adaptation into practice across agriculture, livestock, hospitality and fisheries.
Each startup received approximately KSh1.3 million, according to the IGAD Centre for Pastoral Areas and Livestock Development (ICPALD), which announced the completion of a joint supervision mission to assess the enterprises’ progress.
The three-day mission brought together representatives from AfDB, ICPALD and the University of Juba. It examined the technical, operational and field-level performance of the businesses following the funding.
The assessment focused on how the supported enterprises are functioning and translating their business ideas into practical activities. By reviewing performance at both operational and field levels, the mission provided an opportunity to examine the startups beyond their initial proposals.
Agriculture accounts for the largest share of the supported ventures, with 12 startups representing 60 per cent of the total. Five businesses operate in livestock, while two are in hospitality and one is in fisheries.
Based on the equal seed funding allocation, the agriculture enterprises collectively received approximately KSh15.6 million. Livestock businesses received about KSh6.5 million, while hospitality ventures received approximately KSh2.6 million. The fisheries startup received about KSh1.3 million.
The distribution places agriculture and livestock at the centre of the initiative, with the two sectors accounting for 17 of the 20 supported businesses. Hospitality and fisheries broaden the programme’s reach, demonstrating that the funded climate adaptation activities extend across different areas of enterprise.
ICPALD described the startups as businesses “putting climate adaptation into action,” highlighting the role of young entrepreneurs in developing practical responses to climate challenges.
The initiative combines financial support for emerging enterprises with follow-up supervision. While the seed funding provides resources to advance business activities, the assessment examines how those activities are progressing in practice.
The participation of AfDB, ICPALD and the University of Juba brought financial, technical and academic institutions into the review. Their joint mission assessed the enterprises across the four sectors rather than focusing solely on the disbursement of funds.
For the young entrepreneurs, the funding represents early-stage support for businesses expected to combine enterprise development with climate adaptation. However, ICPALD’s announcement did not specify the technologies, products or services offered by individual startups.
It also did not disclose business-level findings, revenue figures, employment outcomes or the number of people benefiting from the enterprises’ activities. These details would be needed to establish the wider economic and climate adaptation results of the investment.
The completion of the supervision mission marks a follow-up milestone for the 20 businesses as they develop their operations with AfDB support.