THE USAID YALWA ACTIVITY

USAID AGREEMENT NUMBER: 72068520CA00003

FISCAL YEAR (FY) 2020

ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT (MARCH 18, 2020 – SEPTEMBER 30, 2020)

Implemented by Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA)

Submission Date: December 23, 2020

Submitted to: Doudou Ndiaye Acting Agreement Officer’s Representative (AOR) Deputy Director and Regional Agriculture Officer Sahel Regional Technical Office, USAID/Senegal

Period of Performance: March 18, 2020 – March 17, 2025

This Annual Progress Report was made possible by the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the responsibility of CNFA and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.

1 Table of Contents

LIST OF ACRONYMS III

1. INTRODUCTION 1

2. OVERVIEW OF ACHIEVEMENTS 3

3. ACTIVITIES IMPLEMENTED IN FY20 4

3.1 - PRODUCTION OF KEY TECHNICAL DELIVERABLES OF THE REFINEMENT PERIOD 4 3.2 – OTHER TECHNICAL ACTIVITIES OF THE REFINEMENT PERIOD 7 3.3 - COLLABORATIVE ACTIVITIES WITH USAID IMPLEMENTING PARTNERS 15

4. PROJECT MANAGEMENT 17

4.1 - PROJECT STAFFING 17 4.2 - OPERATIONS, FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE START-UP 18 4.3 – PROJECT COMMUNICATIONS 19 4.4 – PROJECT REPORTING AND PLANNING 19

5. KEY PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED AND RESOLUTION 19

6. KEY SECURITY ISSUES/CONCERNS AND IMPACT ON INTERVENTIONS 20

7. PERFORMANCE IN FY20 AND PROGRESS TOWARDS ACHIEVING LOP PERFORMANCE RESULTS 20

ANNEXES 22

ANNEX 1 : LIST OF USAID YALWA, DFS, AND TEV INTERVENTION COMMUNES 22 ANNEX 2 : CHARACTERISTICS OF 15 LIVESTOCK MARKETS PREVIOUSLY SUPPORTED BY REGIS-AG AND NOW SUPPORTED BY YALWA 24 ANNEX 3 : LIST OF YALWA EMPLOYEES AT THE END OF FY20 28 ANNEX 4 : PROJECT PERFORMANCE AND PROGRESS TOWARDS ACHIEVING LOP PERFORMANCE RESULTS 31 ANNEX 5 : FY20 FINANCIAL TABLE 32 ANNEX 6 : SUCCESS STORIES 33 ANNEX 7 : USAID YALWA ENVIRONMENTAL MITIGATION AND MONITORING REPORT 34 ANNEX 8 : USAID YALWA ACTIVITY CONTINGENCY PLANNING REPORT 35

USAID YALWA ACTIVITY | FY20 – Q3 REPORT 2

List of Acronyms 2M Invest Promotion of Entrepreneurship of Women and Young People AOR Agreement Officer Representative AMELP Activity Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Plan ACP Activity Contingency Plan AREN Association for the Revitalization of Livestock in Niger CDC US Center for Disease Control and Prevention CMU Crisis Management Unit COP Chief of Party DCOP Deputy Chief of Party DFSA Development Food Security Activity EMMP Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Plan FAFPA Fonds d’Appui à la Formation Professionnelle et à l’Apprentissage FY Fiscal Year GoN Government of Niger HKI Helen Keller International HQ Headquarters IPA Innovations for Poverty Action IR Intermediate Result Karkara Nigerien Association for the Revitalization of Local Initiatives LUXDEV Luxembourg Agency for International Development MCC Millennium Challenge Corporation MEL Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning M&N Markets and Nutrition MSDD Market Systems Development Director NYC Conseil National de la Jeunesse PIRS Performance Indicator Reference Sheets PO Producer Organization PEA Political Economy Analysis PRAPS Projet Régional d’Appui au Pastoralisme au Sahel PRODAF Programme de Développement de l’Agriculture Familiale PRODEC Projet de Développement des Compétences pour la Croissance ReCom Relais communautaire (Community Relay or Community focal point) REGIS-AG Resilience and Economic Growth in the Sahel – Accelerated Growth REGIS-ER Resilience and Economic Growth in the Sahel – Enhanced Resilience

USAID YALWA ACTIVITY | FY20 – Q3 REPORT 3

RESEAN Réseau des Structures d’Accompagnement en Entrepreneuriat au Niger RISE Regional Resilience in the Sahel Enhanced SCC Sahel Collaboration and Communication SDFA Sr. Director of Finance and Administration SHIGA Sahel Human Voice in Governance Activity TC Technical Committee TEV Terres Eau Vie TOR Terms of Reference USAID United States Agency for International Development WFP World Food Program WHO World Health Organization YEPS Youth Entrepreneurship Promotion Strategy

USAID YALWA ACTIVITY | FY20 – Q3 REPORT 4

1. Introduction

Activity Name USAID Yalwa Start Date and End Date March 18, 2020 – March 17, 2025 Cooperative Agreement Number 72068520CA00003 Name of Awardee CNFA Name of Sub awardees HKI, Karkara, AREN, IPA Geographic Coverage Niger: Maradi, Tillabéri, Zinder Focus Value Chains Small Ruminants, Poultry, Cowpea, Local Nutritious Foods

USAID Yalwa objective and Results areas - The five-year United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Yalwa activity is designed to strengthen food market systems, sustainably increase household incomes, and improve the nutritional status of women and children in the Tillabéri, Maradi and Zinder regions of Niger.1 To achieve its goal, USAID Yalwa implements interventions across the following mutually reinforcing results (IR) areas: ▪ IR1: Enhanced performance of commodity market systems; ▪ IR2: Increased utilization of quality inputs and services; ▪ IR3: Increased local consumption of nutritious, safe foods.

USAID Yalwa technical approach - USAID Yalwa technical approach is grounded on an innovative market system strengthening approach that is facilitative and focused on sustainability – implementing the exit strategy from day one – while consolidating the progress made during the five years of the Resilience and Economic Growth Program in the Sahel - Accelerated Growth (REGIS-AG).

A market system consists of all the market actors that collaborate, coordinate, and compete for the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Structurally, a market system is made of multiple interconnected parts that are further interconnected to other systems. In particular, commodity market systems are linked to supportive market systems (or cross-market functions) such as those for agricultural inputs, technical services, and financial investment.

USAID Yalwa market system strengthening focuses on enhancing linkages, building capacity of market actors (especially their business, financial, and organizational effectiveness), and establishing supportive environments that create incentives for more efficient, competitive, and inclusive markets. Actors’ capacities are enhanced to allow them to assess market opportunities, plan their approach, obtain necessary resources and services, implement, and then adjust based on how well they are achieving their short- and long-term business goals.

The sustainability focus is based on collaboration with influential local actors and networks that catalyze change at key points in the system. More specifically, USAID Yalwa's core approach to ensuring sustainability is to work through Unions to provide services to producer groups (e.g. access to agro-inputs, finance, market

1 Yalwa means “fulfillment” or “blossoming” in the Hausa language. 1 and climate information, skills development, group sales). To this end, USAID Yalwa builds the capacity of Unions to continue the provision of such service without project support. The approach also leverages commercial investments to build long-term linkages between buyers and sellers, and to ensure the consistent delivery of inputs and services over time. In addition to developing the skills of farmers, the approach also builds the skills of traders, processors, and other buyers so that they can earn a profit from their businesses, be motivated to seek out nutritious foods, and become self-reliant. In this way, local ownership is established, and sustainable development outcomes are produced by the synergies of market actors themselves.

USAID Yalwa in the RISE II initiative - As a key part of USAID’s Regional Resilience in the Sahel Enhanced (RISE II) Initiative, USAID Yalwa’s expected results listed below contribute to the following Objectives and Intermediate Results (IRs) of RISE II: ▪ RISE II Objective 1: Enhance social and ecological risk management systems o IR 1.3 Improved management of shocks, risks and stresses ▪ RISE II Objective 2: Increase and sustain economic well-being o IR 2.1 Improved agricultural and pastoral livelihoods o IR 2.2 Diversified economic opportunities o IR 2.3 More inclusive and resilient market systems o IR 2.4 Increased utilization of financial services o IR 2.5 Improved human capacity, especially for women and youth ▪ RISE II Objective 3: Improve health, family planning, and nutrition outcomes o IR 3.3 Improved health, family planning, hygiene and nutritional practices (Yalwa to focus on nutrition-sensitive practices and behaviors related to diets) o IR 3.4 Increased access to affordable, nutritious, safe foods ▪ RISE II Objective 4: Enhance governance of institutions and organizations o IR 4.2 Strengthened local civil society and community-based organizations ▪ RISE II Objective 5: Enhanced social, economic, and political agency of women and youth

However, although USAID Yalwa is expected to contribute to these common goals of RISE II, its implementation focuses on achieving its specific goal and expected outcomes, and in engaging with other USAID partners to develop strategies for collaboration for the common goals of RISE II.

Focus of the implementation period and report structure - This reporting period, USAID Yalwa focus was the production of key deliverables defined in the approved refinement period’s work plan. Initially scheduled to end on September 18, USAID approved an extension of the refinement period to November 30 due to the large volume of work planned and the challenging Covid-19 context that limited the effectiveness of the team. This annual report includes the following sections:

● Overview of achievements; ● Activities conducted in FY20 and Collaboration with USAID Implementing Partners; ● Project management, including staffing, as well as operations, finance and administrative start up; ● Key problems and resolution; ● Key security issues/concerns and impact on activities; 2

● Performance and progress towards achieving LOP performance results.

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2. Overview of Achievements During the reporting period (March 18 - September 30, 2020), the USAID Yalwa activity, led by CNFA with consortium partners AREN, Karkara, HKI and IPA, mobilized the project team, realizing a rapid start-up that began in March 2020 upon signing of the Cooperative Agreement. The USAID Yalwa leadership team focused on administrative and operational start-up activities as well as on the production of key refinement period deliverables under a challenging COVID-19 context. Major achievements during this reporting period include the following: ▪ Two of the four key personnel (i.e., Chief of Party and Senior Director of Administration and Finance) were mobilized the day CNFA signed the contract (March 18). The other two (DCOP and Market System Development Director) were hired and began work on April 10. ▪ The Chief of Party (COP) and Sr. Director of Finance and Administration (SDFA) mobilized resources and operated efficiently. In a crisis environment, the team was able to nearly fully staff the project, achieving 83% of the projected capacity of 71 employees. ▪ Important progress was made in the areas of Operations, Finance and Administration. All offices were quickly identified. The team moved in to the Yalwa Head Office on May 1 in Niamey. The three regional offices were opened on July 1, 2020 (Maradi and Tillabéri) and in mid-July 2020 (Zinder). Key procurements were initiated, including internet service, Niamey office cleaning, employee health insurance, and security service. Building on REGIS-AG documentation, CNFA HQ and Yalwa leadership finalized management manuals and processes tailored to the USAID Yalwa context. Through face-to-face meetings or phone calls held on a need basis, the SDFA and his finance and administration team continued to provide on the job training to AREN and Karkara teams on the project contractual requirements, financial reporting, and USAID policies and procedures. ▪ Throughout the period, the team strictly implemented best Covid-19 mitigation practices recommended by CNFA, USAID, the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Niger government, and the World Health Organization (WHO). While projects shifted to teleworking options, the USAID Yalwa team was able to organize at the Niamey office with safety protocols in place to develop key deliverables. The project team developed the drafts of key technical deliverables of the refinement period, notably: the terms of reference (ToR) of the Markets & Nutrition (M&N) Pathways Assessment, the Activity Contingency Plan (ACP), the Activity Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Plan (AMELP), and the Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Plan (EMMP). A ToR was also developed for a Political Economic Analysis (PEA) of factors influencing the reforms and performance of the management of livestock markets as well as for development of the youth integration strategy. USAID reviewed all documents and provided important feedback and guidance. The project was also able to organize an orientation workshop that allowed all staff to have a better understanding of the project technical approach and expected results. ▪ In addition, the team designed and administered a Covid-19 related market survey and a survey to assess the effect of the floods torrential rains that fell over a large part of Niger during the months of August and September. These surveys were successfully administered in a crisis context via telephone, a cost effectiveness adaptation that could be applied during the project life.

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▪ In terms of communications, the project produced a press release announcing the launch of the project, and developed a project overview/factsheet highlighting key project information and a communications strategy, and updated branding and marking plan. The CNFA HQ communications team supported the Yalwa team to develop these materials. USAID reviewed and approved all four documents. ▪ The project team was very proactive in collaboration with other RISE implementers, and initiated contacts with the Development Food Security Activities (DFSAs) and Terres Eau Vie (TEV). Good progress has been made in developing working partnerships. Each project shared important documents with the Yalwa team, and a technical committee was established and met to develop joint work plans for submission to USAID during the first quarter of FY21.

3. Activities implemented in FY20 During the FY20 reporting period (March 18 - September 30, 2020), the USAID Yalwa activity focused on the project operational and administrative start-up, and the production of refinement period technical deliverables.

3.1 - Production of key technical deliverables of the refinement period ● Activity Contingency Plan (ACP) - The project team drafted an outline of the ACP and shared with USAID for consideration. Comments received are being incorporated in a second draft using the new RISE II ACP template USAID shared in August 2020. USAID Yalwa will submit a comprehensive ACP to USAID in Quarter 1 FY21 as agreed upon with USAID.

● Activity Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Plan (AMELP) - The project team worked remotely with IPA and the CNFA home office MEL team to review the theory of change (ToC) and the list of indicators included in the approved proposal. To ensure that the team has a good understanding of USAID expectations before developing the full AMELP draft, the project team held a meeting with USAID on June 11 to discuss its approach. Subsequently, the project team worked remotely with IPA and the CNFA home office MEL team to integrate USAID comments on the first draft it submitted on June 22 for review. At the end of the reporting period, the project team was still working on USAID comments on this draft with the goal to submit a revised version by November 25, 2020 as agreed upon with USAID. This will include proposed changes on the list of indicators, the list of context indicators that were not included in the first AMELP version, the Performance Indicator Reference Sheets (PIRS), and proposed changes on the overall project ToC narrative. This version will be updated in FY21 using the baseline survey results and USAID comments.

● Performance Indicator Baseline Survey - Building on the implementation of CNFA-implemented USAID Yidgiri work in Burkina Faso, USAID Yalwa is currently drafting a baseline draft methodology or Terms of Reference (ToR) with the support of IPA and the CNFA MEL team. This draft will be submitted to USAID in Quarter1 FY21. The survey questionnaires will be developed and finalized once the list of indicators proposed in the AMELP is validated. The baseline survey will be carried out in the second quarter of FY21 with support from an external team. The final version of the AMELP including baseline values will be submitted by the end of Quarter 2 FY21.

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● Environmental mitigation and monitoring plan (EMMP) - Based on CNFA’s organizational experience, the Yalwa team developed a draft outline of the EMMP and submitted the draft to USAID for comments on June 18. Subsequently, the project team worked remotely with a consultant to produce a draft taking into consideration USAID comments and guidance on the outline. The project team submitted the second draft to USAID on August 17, 2020 and it was subsequently approved. ● Political Economy Analysis (PEA) – USAID Yalwa will conduct a PEA of factors influencing the livestock markets management reform and performance. During the reporting period, the project team drafted and finalized the ToR for the study. It was submitted to the project support team at the CNFA home office, and posted for recruitment of a consultant in early FY21. ● Markets & Nutrition (M&N) Pathways Assessment - The project team drafted the terms of reference (ToR) of the assessment, which will be implemented beginning in FY21. The team shared the draft with USAID for comments on July 8. On August 12, USAID held a remote orientation meeting with USAID Yalwa, where a key decision was made to focus on detailing the nutrition theory of change (ToC) before finalizing the ToR. The nutrition TOC was deemed integral to finalizing the M&N Pathway Assessment TOR. Based on the guidance provided, the USAID Yalwa nutrition team submitted a more detailed ToC to USAID first on September 14 and then on October 22. After integrating USAID comments and suggestions, USAID Yalwa submitted a revised version to USAID on October 30 that was subsequently approved. As part of Yalwa’s commitment to adaptive management and ongoing learning, this approved version of the nutrition ToC will be continuously updated during project implementation as assumptions are tested, interventions are implemented, and additional evidence indicates how change happens in the short, medium and long term to achieve the intended impact. Subsequently, the USAID Yalwa nutrition team developed the M&N pathways assessment ToR, which proposes three-phases of research to: (i) identify nutritional gaps and determine what foods should be promoted, and; (ii) how the foods should be promoted to improve availability, affordability, desirability, and consumption of diverse nutritious foods by the project’s target population. An overview of the three phases of research follows: ▪ Phase 1 (November 2020 - January 2021) literature review focused on reviewing existing research findings to compile what is known about local food production and supply (e.g. products available, unit quantities, price) and dietary intake/quality/nutrient gaps among pregnant and lactating women as well as children 6-23 months. ▪ Phase 2 (February - March 2021) will focus on understanding the food environment and identifying nutritious foods USAID Yalwa can promote and the mechanisms to promote them. This survey phase of research will be conducted during a two-month period from February - March 2021. While phase 2 is planned to focus on collection of qualitative data, additional quantitative data may be collected on an as needed basis based on the findings of phase 1 and the data collected as part of the USAID Yalwa Performance Indicator Baseline Survey (baseline survey). The Yalwa team will closely coordinate data collection for the M&N Pathway Assessment and baseline survey, which is planned for mid-January - mid-February. Quantitative data required by the nutrition pathway assessment will be collected in the baseline survey questionnaires, with the data then shared with HKI for

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analysis. This approach will leverage Activity resources and reduce survey fatigue among respondents. ▪ Phase 3 (May - July 2021) will use ethnographic/human centered design research to explore consumer choices (including gender dynamics), consumer preferences, and market-oriented levers for increasing purchase and consumption of nutritious foods. It will validate the nutrition ToC and determine appropriate supply and demand interventions (associated with validated outcomes) USAID Yalwa should undertake to address the main constraints identified for sustainably increasing the local consumption of these high-impact nutritious foods by the two-level targeted population, even in the context of security and sanitary crisis. While the analysis will include the market system and the individual household behavior pathways, the major focus of analysis will be on the market system pathway.

USAID Yalwa submitted a revised ToR to USAID on October 30 that USAID reviewed and approved.

● Youth integration strategy - During the refinement period, project team discussions with USAID resulted in the decision to facilitate a youth-led development of the project Youth Entrepreneurship Promotion Strategy (YEPS) with USAID Yalwa technical and financial assistance. To this end, USAID Yalwa organized a consultation meeting with several organizations with experience on the subject in Niamey including: the Vocational Training and Apprenticeship Support Fund (FAFPA)2, the Center for the Promotion of Entrepreneurship of women and young people (2M Invest)3, the National Youth Council (NYC)4, and the National Directorate of Youth and Sports of the Ministry of Youth and Sports. At this meeting, all participating organizations agreed to support USAID Yalwa in promoting youth and women's entrepreneurship. After examining the options available, the participating organizations unanimously selected the NYC as the most appropriate youth group to lead the development of the YEPS.

Following up on the meeting recommendation and after USAID concurrence of the group selection, USAID Yalwa set up a Technical Committee (TC)5 chaired by the DCOP to support the NYC in the development of this strategy. As such, the TC is an advisory body whose mission is to: (i) monitor and

2 FAPFA (Fonds d’Appui à la Formation Professionnelle et à l’Apprentissage), a public sector organization with administrative and financial autonomy established with the mission to contribute to the implementation of the Government's policy on continuing vocational training and apprenticeship with a view to the socio-economic development of the private sector. 3 2M Invest is a private company that specializes in the promotion of entrepreneurship and financial inclusion through training and support for vulnerable groups, particularly women and young people in rural and urban areas. 4 The National Council of Youth (CNJ), the umbrella organization of all youth associations in Niger. 5 The TC is composed as follows: • The President: The Deputy Project Manager of USAID Yalwa • The Vice-president: The President of RESAEN • General Rapporteurs: A second representative of the USAID Yalwa and the Representative of FAFPA • Members: A representative of the Directorate of Youth Entrepreneurship, a representative of the National Directorate of Youth and Sports, and a representative of the General Directorate of Agriculture (DGA MAG/EL) The TC meets once (01) a week in ordinary session when convened by its President. It can meet in extraordinary session if necessary, at the request of its President or the COP of USAID Yalwa. 7

assess the development of the strategy; (ii) facilitate the identification and mobilization of actors to support the development of the strategy, including the central and decentralized state services economic actors at the national, regional and local levels as well as civil society; (iii) facilitate the capitalization of lessons learned and good practices from previous experiences; and (iv) ensure that the strategy is consistent with relevant national public policies.

To guide the NYC and learn from previous experiences in Niger, on October 8, USAID Yalwa organized a learning working session during which PRODEC6, FAFPA, RESAEN7, Benalya8, and NYC experiences and lessons learned on youth and women entrepreneurship promotion were presented and discussed. The workshop was organized in collaboration with the USAID-funded Sahel Collaboration and Communication (SCC) project. The strategy development and validation will be done during the first quarter of FY21. The validation will be carried out in collaboration with SCC in a workshop that will bring together a select group of partners (including the DFSA, SCC and Youth Connect) and state services with proven experience on the subject matter. ● Developing a common methodology for the assessment of the functional literacy training - On September 18, USAID Yalwa and Yidgiri held a meeting with USAID to gain a better understanding of USAID’s expectations for the planned functional literacy assessments (objectives, scope, how will the findings be used by USAID, what has changed since the RFA/proposal stage). This was needed before CNFA proceeds with designing the methodology and develops a realistic timeline for implementation in both countries. A USAID education specialist participated in the meeting. During this meeting, USAID confirmed that the assessment was conceived to: (i) test the assumption that there is a positive relationship between functional literacy training and agricultural productivity, market success and economic growth; and (ii) generate evidence that could be used to guide future USAID investments /programming. USAID also indicated that CNFA and its consortium partner Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) is to lead the way in exploring the best approach to accomplish the aforementioned expectations. However, USAID was open to the purpose of this study changing based on preliminary research (e.g. literature review, preliminary data collection). It was also agreed that USAID Yalwa and Yidgiri literacy teams will consider how to incorporate soft skills further into the curriculum. During the meeting, CNFA informed USAID about its plan to use IPA as a service provider to design and lead the assessment in Niger and Burkina Faso to ensure that the two projects use a similar methodology for conducting the survey, analyzing data, and reporting findings.9 USAID was comfortable with this

6 PRODEC stands for Projet de Développement des Compétences pour la Croissance. It is a World Bank funded project. 7 RESAEN stands for Network of Entrepreneurship Support Structures in Niger (Réseau des Structures d’Accompagnement en Entrepreneuriat au Niger). 8 Benalya is a private firm from Niger managed by a Nigerien and engaged in the dissemination of appropriate solar energy technologies for the development of poultry and agro-pastoral production, as well as in the social integration of young boys and girls out of school. Benalya collaborated with REGIS-AG in piloting the promotion of guinea fowl businesses in Niger and Burkina Faso in 2018 through the end of the project in March 2020. 9 Under USAID Yalwa, IPA is a full consortium member providing general MEL support, and charged with designing and implementing this assessment. For Yidgiri, IPA was not included as a full consortium member, but was engaged in discussions at the proposal stage regarding this work. 8

approach, which will leverage efficiencies at the design stage, continue to promote cross-project coordination, and make the combined data more useful to USAID. USAID and CNFA agreed that further discussions will be necessary to identify and finalize specific research questions and the methodology. IPA noted that designing the methodology for this assessment could take as long as 4-5 months. Following further internal discussions held after the meeting with USAID, CNFA is to coordinate with USAID to plan next meeting in FY21 to discuss CNFA/IPA’s thoughts on research questions and methodology. 3.2 – Other technical activities of the refinement period USAID Yalwa is required to continue supporting previous REGIS-AG beneficiaries. In addition to the activities related to the production of key deliverables of the refinement period presented above, the USAID Yalwa technical team continued to implement a number of interventions that began under REGIS-AG to avoid a break in the support provided to these beneficiaries. Simultaneously, the team assessed the impact of two major shocks (Covid-19 and flooding) to determine the project response. The following are details of the activities carried out.

● Continuation of the livestock market monitoring activities - REGIS-AG supported the reform of the management of 15 livestock10 markets in Niger by promoting a public-private partnership and inclusive management model that increased tax receipts an average 239 percent. As a result, hygiene, sanitation, and public services are improving, and infrastructure is being repaired. In addition, the number of sellers and animals presented for sale more than doubled. However, the sustainability of these reforms requires greater organizational capacity and transparent revenue management by market management committees and mayors. To ensure that these reforms yield the desired outcomes, USAID required USAID Yalwa to continue supporting these markets. During the reporting period, the team conducted monitoring activities that consisted of: − Monitoring water access in livestock markets supported by REGISAG; − Documenting the main characteristics of the livestock markets, and identify the livestock markets that benefit from additional technical assistance from other development projects such as Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and the Projet Régional d’Appui au Pastoralisme au Sahel (PRAPS); − Initiating a collaborative process with a local partner, Système d’Information sur les Marchés à Bétail (SIM-B), for market information sharing and dissemination.

Water access monitoring was completed by analyzing the data collected: a) during the COVID 19 survey, and; b) during the rapid survey relating to the impact of drought on REGIS AG beneficiaries. Findings showed that six livestock markets were facing challenges accessing water. As a result, the project team initiated a discussion with TEV for the two projects to work together to help improve access to safe water

10 Livestock includes animals such as cattle, horses, sheep, and fur-bearing animals, but does not include farmed birds (turkeys, chickens, guinea fowl, pigeons, geese), fish, shellfish, amphibians (frogs), and reptiles. It also does not include animals kept as pets. Turkeys or domesticated fowl are considered poultry. 9

in the livestock markets. As a result, this activity was included in the joint FY21 work plan that will be submitted to USAID.

Annex 2 presents the main characteristics of these livestock markets, from data collected through review of reports available on these markets (including REGIS-AG documents), exchanges with SIM-B employees, and phone calls to the market management committees.

For the collaboration with SIM-B, the project Livestock Management Specialist made a visit to their office in order to learn more about their activities and gather additional information relating to the livestock markets. The meeting gave opportunity for USAID Yalwa to discuss issues pertaining to the livestock markets. An important outcome of this meeting was SIM-B agreement to include USAID Yalwa in their mailing list of organizations and projects that receive their market information bulletin.

● Identification of five new markets USAID Yalwa will support - As indicated above, USAID Yalwa is expected to continue facilitating management reform of 15 livestock markets inherited from REGIS-AG. In addition, the project is also required to add five (5) other markets in this effort. During the reporting period, the project selected two (02) markets in the Zinder region (Doungass and Guidiguir) and three (03) in the Tillabéri region (Boubon, Hamdallaye, and Kollo). The location, day of animation and project supporting these markets are presented in Annex 3. The choice of these markets was guided by two essential aspects: (i) the markets must be located in a municipality where a DFSA project operates in order to develop some synergies; and (ii) the following market characteristics that can facilitate the implementation of project activities: − the number of animals presented in the markets (mainly small and large ruminants)11, − the accessibility of the market12, − the level of market security (safety)13, − the existence of an association or a dynamic market management committee14,

11 The number of animals presented (small and large ruminants) gives an idea of the size of the livestock market; a high number of animals indicates a large livestock market while a relatively low number of animals means a relatively small market size. Based on the available statistics, the average numbers of presentations per market was calculated and this average was used as a benchmark for defining the different classes (groups) of presentation flows, namely: low flow (score 1 point); average flow (score 2 points); high flow (score 3 points) and very high flow (score 5 points). 12 The physical accessibility of the market is a factor that can contribute to a better appreciation of the level of activity in the market and the importance of the different flows during the year. Therefore, market accessibility plays a key role in facilitating market economic activities or its dynamism. To quantify the level of accessibility of a market, the following rating grid was adopted and applied to each of the markets: very accessible (5 points); accessible (3 points); not very accessible (1 points); and not easily accessible (0 point). 13 The security of goods and people is of paramount importance for the development of economic activities. Some livestock markets are located in so-called restricted access zones; this is particularly the case of livestock markets located in areas where the competent authorities have established a state of emergency. To assess the security level of a market, the project team applied the following scoring grid: livestock market located in an area under a state of emergency (0 points); livestock market located in an area not declared an insecure zone (5 points). 14 The existence of a committee responsible for managing the livestock market facilitates the smooth running of economic activities and collaborative relations with the municipal authorities. However, the success of the mission assigned to the committee is directly linked to the dynamism of the committee, which is considered essential for good 10

− the existence of a SIM Bétail market monitoring system or its supervision by an agent from the livestock Directorate of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Husbandry.15 The project team assigned different weight to these criteria in the selection process and grouped them into two categories. The team considered the first three criteria (number of animals presented, the accessibility of the market, and the level of safety of the market) to be the most important criteria, and the rest were grouped as minor criteria.

● Support to beneficiaries of the REGIS-AG pilot guinea fowl businesses promotion - REGIS-AG supported agribusiness and entrepreneurial capacity building efforts for youth to promote opportunities for young people to pursue their own visions, dreams, hopes, and concerns pertaining to their economic development, livelihoods, and overall well-being. The activity is grounded in the fundamental principle that if young people have sufficient incomes and resources to sustain productive lives, they can generate economic opportunity, and contribute productively to their communities. In contrast, when youth are unable to sustain productive lives, they are vulnerable to ideologically motivated violence fueled by radical ideological, religious or political views. The activity focuses on youth, age 18 to 29 in localities facing rising insecurity such as the Tillabéri region. There is significant potential for market growth, as guinea fowl rearing has relatively low feeding costs and the birds are sold at a higher unit price than chicken. The pilot involved three types of businesses for beneficiaries: − Business type 1: 8 pilot guinea fowl eggs incubation business units for the sale of chicks and/or live adult birds for home consumption (3 in Maradi, 2 in Tillabéri, and 3 in Zinder); − Business type 2: 30 pilot guinea fowl business units for the production and sale of live adult birds and/or some eggs during the rainy season only (10 in Maradi, 10 in Tillabéri, and 10 in Zinder); − Business type 3: 10 pilot Galor16 guinea fowl business units for the production and sale of live adult birds and/or some eggs throughout the year (2 in Maradi, 6 in Tillabéri, and 2 in Zinder).

As indicated for livestock markets, USAID required USAID Yalwa to continue supporting these beneficiaries to ensure that the investment made yields the desired outcome. Due to the Covid-19 crisis, USAID Yalwa continued to monitor the performance of beneficiaries through phone calls. The team complemented this light-touch monitoring with technical support visits Advisors made to the beneficiaries from July to November. In addition, in collaboration with the Benalya group, USAID Yalwa organized a field mission from July 20 to 29 to monitor the performance of these 48 beneficiaries, provide necessary guidance, and collect business data (production, sale, investment). This mission

governance of the market. To assess the level of organization and dynamism of a market, the rating grid has been adopted: (i) no management committee (0 point); (ii) existence of a management committee (1 point); (iii) management committee deemed dynamic (2 points). 15 The monitoring of a livestock market by SIM Bétail facilitates the regular collection of precise and reliable data and information on the livestock market activities. If a livestock market is monitored by the SIM Bétail, it the project team assigned a score of 1. The score of 0 point was given if the livestock market is not monitored by the SIM Bétail. 16 Galor is an improved breed of guinea fowl FOA introduced in Niger in 2004 from Europe in the Maradi region. It weighs 2-3 times as much as the local breed, and can produce eggs throughout the year under certain conditions whereas local breeds only lay eggs during the rainy season (3 months), 11

revealed encouraging results. In one year, sales beneficiaries made amounted to 13,083,525 F CFA (US $23,363). Eleven of the 48 beneficiaries (22%) bought animals (goats and sheep) with the income generated by the activity. A beneficiary from the Maradi region bought a one-hectare field for 180,000 CFA francs. These figures show that the beneficiaries have fully understood the business logic of this pilot project.

The mission also provided the project the opportunity to realize that USAID Yalwa technical monitoring team (Advisors) could not provide effective support in some aspects of the business, especially the proper use of equipment. As a result, (i) a number of beneficiaries made errors when manipulating the equipment or setting temperature and Advisors were unable to handle certain deficiencies of the system that was set up to create the microclimate needed for guinea fowl in business type 1 and business type 3. Furthermore, despite the training the REGIS-AG team provided, there was evidence of poor handling of business management tools beneficiaries were given for to be able to run their business professionally; these tools are also important for the project technical team for collecting data (bird performance, turnover, expenses, etc.) needed to carry out cost-benefit analysis (CBA).

To address these above-mentioned challenges and strengthen the project monitoring, in FY21, USAID Yalwa will recruit a service provider who will be able provide the needed close follow-up and support to the beneficiaries.

● Continuation of the support to members of REGIS-AG business clusters - REGIS-AG supported 384 producers’ organizations in Niger, 236 of which joined 28 business clusters. REGIS-AG supported these 236 POs (with 8,330 members, of which 5,842 are women) in 28 clusters to strengthen their market- readiness. These POs established business relationships with 20 traders, 17 processors and 5 agro- dealers. As noted for livestock markets, and pilot guinea fowl businesses above, USAID required USAID Yalwa to continue supporting members of these clusters to ensure that these relationships mature and thereby that the investment made yields the desired outcome. In August and September 2020, the USAID Yalwa team organized field visits to monitor the performance of members of the 28 clusters inherited from REGIS-AG and provide necessary guidance. However, due to the prevailing insecurity situation, the team was only able to visit 194 of the 236 POs in the clusters (41 for poultry, 79 for Small Ruminants and 74 for cowpea). Eighty-five (85) are located in Maradi, 40 In Tillabéri, and 69 in Zinder. The data collected can be summarized as follows:

For poultry clusters: - Number of birds being raised: 14,856 (10,373 chickens and 4,483 guinea fowls); - Value of investments beneficiaries made: 9,097,850 F CFA (US $16,246) -- 3,440,300 FCFA (US $6,143) for construction of chicken coops, 4,729,500 FCFA (US $8,446) to buy reproductive supplies, and 928,050 FCFA (US $1,657) to buy water troughs; - POs satisfaction concerning business linkages: Very satisfied POs: 42.86% for Maradi and 5% for Zinder; Satisfied POs: 57.14% for Maradi, 70% for Zinder and 15% for Tillabéri; Not satisfied POs: 84.61% for Tillabéri and 15% pour Zinder; - Animal health service: 100% des POs in Maradi and Zinder et 83% of Tillabéri rely on animal health services;

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- Good husbandry practices trainings producers would like to see continue under USAID Yalwa: vaccinations against Newcastle, poultry feed production using local ingredients, fairs, and business linkages development facilitation.

For small ruminants clusters: - Number of small ruminants available: 14,829 (7,908 goats and 6,921 sheep); - Value of investments beneficiaries made: 64,492,500 FCFA to buy animals for fattening (46,104,300 FCFA for goats and 18,388,200 FCFA for sheep); - POs satisfaction concerning business linkages: Satisfied POs: 10% for Maradi and 71.42% for Zinder; Not satisfied: 87% for Maradi, 28,57% for Zinder; - Animal health service: 100% des POs in Maradi and Zinder rely on animal health services; - Good husbandry practices trainings producers would like to see continue under USAID Yalwa: animal fattening, deworming, vaccination campaigns, fairs, and business linkages development facilitation.

For cowpea clusters: - Stock of grains available: 85,780 Kg; - Stock of cowpea seeds: 1,785 kg - Stock of processed products: 825 kg; - POs satisfaction concerning business linkages: Satisfied POs: 12.12% for Maradi, 4% for Zinder and 0% for Tillabéri; Moderately satisfied: 51.15% for Maradi, 18% for Zinder et 0% for Tillabéri; Not satisfied: 15.16% for Maradi, 29% for Zinder et 100% for Tillabéri.

These field visits clearly highlighted the need to strengthen USAID Yalwa monitoring efforts. The weakness of the regular monitoring of POs by the Advisors make it difficult to fully appreciate the evolution of the clusters’ performance. The discussion and data collected during the visits indicate that business linkages established did not produce the expected outcomes, nor notably improve access to inputs and significantly increase in sales. However, the majority of producers in the poultry value chain expressed appreciation for their relationships with traders. They were happy with buying prices that collectors / traders offered. They additionally found use in information provided to POs, such as the price of poultry on the market, alerts on common poultry diseases, and buyers’ demand on the availability of birds for sale.

To remedy the shortcomings observed, USAID Yalwa plans to set up a stronger monitoring mechanism that will include regular visits of the project Advisers and MEL Assistants, regular meetings with the Community focal points (ReComs)17, implication of the business development service providers (BDSPs) through the Unions.

17 A ReCom is is a PO member who serve as an interface between its producers’ organization and the project. ReComs can facilitate data collection, the implementation of activities, information sharing, and communication between project staff and beneficiaries. 13

● Assessment of the performance of BDS used under REGIS-AG - Using a strategic services sub-award mechanism18, REGIS-AG hired 15 competitively selected Business Development Services Providers (BDSPs)19 to strengthen the technical capacity and market readiness of 8,912 producers who are cluster members in Niger through training and coaching. One of the key elements of the USAID Yalwa exit strategy is to ensure high-quality business development services (BDS) are readily available and accessible to market actors. To this end, USAID Yalwa must identify and link these market actors to competent BDSPs. In addition, USAID Yalwa must strengthen the capacity of BDS providers to assess the organizational and technical capacities of Unions, their PO members, and associated SMEs and provide necessary support and coaching in the operationalization of the capacity building plans that will emerge from these assessments.

During the reporting period, in an effort to identify BDSPs the project will engage in the aforementioned activities, USAID Yalwa conducted an assessment of the performance of these 15 BDSPs. Five specific performance criteria were used to perform the evaluation exercise: (i) quality completion of the contractual deliverables; (ii) timely adherence to contract deadlines; (iii) achievement of the targets set out in the contract (completeness); (iv) beneficiaries performance since BDS capacity building (i.e. successful access to financing facilitated); and (v) compliance with instructions given to fill the indicator sheets the project provided. Each of the criteria was scored using a scoring scale of 100 points with 70 points being the defined scoring level that will allow any BDS to be selected. Value chain leads and the regional coordinators constituted the evaluation committee. At the end of this process, 10 of the 15 BDSPs scored at least 70/100.20

The USAID Yalwa team also used the assessment to determine what the BDSPs thought were factors that influenced the quality of their collaboration with the REGIS-AG team. The 10 BDSPs selected for this assessment21 highly appreciated (i) the capacity building the project provided to each of them before undertaking and during their assignment, (ii) the tools (training modules) provided to the BDSPs to facilitate the training, monitoring/accompanying PO, and reporting template, and (iii) the supervision missions REGIS-AG staff conducted during the training and monitoring of the POs. However, for future collaborations, the BDSPs believe that: − To improve the compliance with contractual deadlines, the orientation period must be lengthened enough to be able to provide detailed explanations of the content of the contracts; − The duration of the period provided to BDSPs to support OPs should be increased for the training to be more effective, notably by taking into account the seasonality of the activities;

18 The 3S Fund was a strategic services sub-award mechanism included in the project valued at $500,000 used to mobilize business development service providers (BDSPs) to work with a large number of beneficiaries in its efforts to catalyze product, process, or function upgrading through training and coaching of value chain actors. 19 The 15 BDSPs are the following: ADC, ECODEL, CAVESA, NIGETECH, GSC/NIIYYA, Vetoplus, Nakaura, Sahel Action, ONDES, PROXIVET, CROP, Bonse, Hindobey, Humbasa and Marhaba. 20 They are the following: ECODEL, CAVESA, Vetoplus, Nakaura, PROXIVET, CROP, Bonse, Hindobey, Humbasa and Marhaba. 21 The REGIS-AG team sent a score sheet to 10 BDSPs selected after the evaluation process requesting them to assess their collaboration with the project. All the 10 BDSPs responded by filling the scoring sheet. 14

− It necessary to respect the monitoring plans and field supervisions as well as to ensure the evaluation and validations of the deliverables of BDSPs within the deadlines to guarantee the effectiveness/quality of the services being provided; − It will help to organize a learning workshop at the end of the service provision to share experiences and draw lessons for future supports.

These findings will guide the project design of its future activities related and/or involving BDSPs.

● COVID-19-related market survey -- The project designed and administered a survey aimed at (a) determining the effects of the COVID-19 crisis on the activities and adaptive capacity of the direct beneficiaries of REGIS-AG (producers, traders, financial institutions, and livestock market actors) involved in the cowpea, poultry and small ruminants value chains, and (b) identifying the support needed by these beneficiaries and the implications for the activities that Yalwa must carry out in order to reduce these effects.

The questionnaires were administered from May 25 - June 7 by the project team using smartphones equipped with an appropriate data collection software. The team interviewed: − 253 producers (68 in Tillabéri, 126 in Maradi, and 66 in Zinder) representing 130 of the 384 direct beneficiary POs of REGIS-AG; − A member of the management committee (COGES) and two non-COGES members in 12 of the15 livestock markets REGIS-AG supported in Niger.22 In each MAB, the COGES member and the two actors interviewed were proposed by COGES. − All 20 traders or collectors in 28 clusters inherited from REGIS-AG, − 13 representatives of 13 microfinance institutions (MFI) agencies from 5 MFI that gave loans to REGIS-AG beneficiaries (BAGRI, KOKARI, MECAT, Tanaadi, and Yarda)23, two other MFIs that had only benefited from REGIS-AG training (MEC-NIYYA and Mutuelle Mutinci) and the MFI GOMNI- KA24.

The survey report was submitted to USAID and subsequently finalized in Quarter 4 FY20. This study allowed the USAID Yalwa team to take stock not only of the level of awareness and knowledge of the COVID-19 pandemic among project beneficiaries inherited from REGIS-AG, but to document the effects of the pandemic on their activities and income. Their responses indicate that the pandemic has affected their means of subsistence and production. Sales and turnover were affected during this period. The sale of small ruminants suffered a considerable setback as prices fell sharply in the markets. The restrictions rightly

22 Communication difficulties made it difficult for the project team to reach the other 3 markets 23 This includes three (03) MFI agencies in the Maradi region (BAGRI-Maradi, Yarda-Maradi, MECAT), three (03) in the Tillabéri region (BAGRI-Tillabéri, KOKARI-Balleyara, et KOKARI-Tillabéri) and four (04) in the Zinder region (BAGRI- Zinder, KOKARI-Zinder, Tanaadi-Zinder, and Yarda-Zinder). 24 GOMNI-KA is an MFI that only joined the group working with REGIS-AG from January 2020 and gave three loans totaling 1,500,000 FCFA to REGIS-AG beneficiaries after the production of the final project report. 15 imposed by the authorities resulted in a drop in demand for cowpeas generally exported to Nigeria. Poor sales have given way to widespread anxiety or concerns among market actors.

All of the 253 producers and 20 buyers surveyed indicated they were informed of the existence of the COVID- 19 pandemic and the implementation of preventive measures. Their information source was generally the radio (92% among producers and 95% among buyers), SMS messages and telephone calls (70.4 % among producers and 95% among buyers), or television (34.4% among producers and 95% among buyers). However, very few knew all the measures imposed. Most of the respondents indicated the COVID-19 pandemic crisis was unprecedented. Only 10% of buyers and 1.2% of producers reported having experienced similar crises (cholera and chickenpox in 2010-2011 and avian flu around 2005).

The data collected show a weak coordination of actions between livestock markets and a lack of coherence of the preventive measures instituted in each of these markets.25

The COVID-19 crisis negatively affected the respondents. Ninety four percent (94%) of the 253 producers interviewed indicated that their economic activities were negatively affected by the health crisis through the drop in sales and turnover. However, a majority of buyers interviewed (80%) said they have been able to conduct commercial transactions since the outbreak of the health crisis. On the other hand, 70% of respondents believe that their turnover will be very negatively affected and 25% moderately affected. Of all buyers, 36% were forced to lay off some or all their employees. The percentage of employees put out of work is around 70%. All these buyers say they plan to re-hire these employees after the crisis.

The study shows that the COVID-19 crisis and the restrictions have led to a decline in the level of input supply and producer demand for inputs. Of all the producers surveyed, 48% had not yet procured their inputs (seeds and fertilizers). The reasons most mentioned by producers are as follows: (i) inability to make group purchases (59%); (ii) lack of resources (34%); (iii) unavailability of inputs (25%); and (iv) high cost of inputs (17%).

The results relating to nutritional issues show that 69% of respondents were forced to reduce the number of meals per day (67% reduced the number of meals from 3 to 2; 26% reduced the number of meals from 2 to 1 and 7% reduced the number of meals from 3 to 1 time per day). In addition, 76% of respondents were required to reduce the amount of food consumed per day.

Based on the aforementioned findings, the project team concludes that it is imperative to provide targeted and appropriate assistance to these beneficiaries to enable them to reduce the effects of the crisis and to get back into a dynamic of increasing their resilience in the face of this exogenous shock. In particular, the USAID Yalwa team will: − Intensify support for the improvement of the sale of cowpea, two crops of which are in stock and a third crop will soon arrive on the market;

25 Eight (8) of the 12 markets have instituted the implementation of at least one of the five (5) barrier measures recommended by the health authorities; Four (4) have not instituted any of the measures recommended; Only one (1) has instituted 4 measures (except temperature measurement); Three (3) have instituted only one, all different; None of the market has introduced temperature monitoring; and none of the 12 markets instituted all 5 measures and the most common were social distancing in 7 markets, and hand washing in 5 markets. 16

− Give greater importance to supporting actors in the semi-industrial processing of cowpea while emphasizing packaging and sanitary conditions for processing; − Facilitate access to vegetable seeds and tuber plants with high nutritional value to beneficiaries where off-season activity is possible; − Provide more support to actors in the cowpea, small ruminants and poultry value chains in production and marketing.

● Flood-related survey – Torrential rains fell over a large part of the territory, especially during the months of August and September. They caused several deaths and a lot of disaster, including to agricultural crops. This damage affected the performance of the agricultural sector and thereby household incomes. Among the victims are USAID Yalwa beneficiaries inherited from the REGIS-AG project. To assess the impact of these floods on its beneficiaries, USAID Yalwa team conducted a rapid telephone survey of 290 REGIS-AG POs in the three projects intervention regions (126 in Maradi, 69 in Tillabéri, and 95 in Zinder). The results show that 92% of POs surveyed were affected by the floods. This situation impacted 26,746 individuals (from 4,743 households) of which 55% are women (7,171 in Maradi, 3,479 in Tillabéri and 4,073 in Zinder) and 31% of children under 5 years old. However, very few of the affected POs (0.7%) were forced to move or abandon their homes / concessions. However, households from these affected POs took in 421 other people (71 in Maradi, 231 in Tillabéri and 119 in Zinder).

Significant damage was done to infrastructure and productive assets. The losses in animals (goats, sheep, and poultry) for the 268 affected POs were estimated at 236,450,941 CFA francs ($422,234). Women were the most affected, as women raise more small ruminants and poultry than men, and the targeted project population includes a higher proportion of women than men in POs. In addition, the losses in crop production for these 268 affected POs were estimated at 2,733 ha of millet/cowpea (2,009 ha), sorghum (542 ha) and rice (182 ha) fields for a value of approximately 269,508,886 F CFA (143,485,523 F CFA for cowpeas and 126,023,363 F CFA for millet), i.e., $481,266.

The floods also disrupted access to markets and sales opportunities by degrading roads, in some cases rupturing bridges leading to markets. However, only 25% of the POs surveyed declared having had problems in the delivery or purchase of their agricultural inputs. This low proportion is due to the fact that producers had already purchased their agricultural inputs; the floods occurred in August-September in the middle of the cropping season (June-September).

Clearly, these damages negatively affected the production capacity of a large number of households and their access to markets. The government of Niger and the projects involved in humanitarian assistance interventions have focused on addressing the damaged infrastructure. USAID Yalwa project will contribute to these efforts through sensitization, training and mobilization of humanitarian workers.

However, because animals constitute one of the most important sources of income for project beneficiaries, especially women, these losses further weaken these already vulnerable communities. The support described in the USAID Yalwa project document can only produce the expected effects if these beneficiaries are able to rebuild their production asset base. For this to happen, it will be necessary to help them through animal and inputs donations. Such an assistance will allow USAID to leverage the investment made through the project. The acquisition of animals will have to be done competitively to

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support the development of the market and their distribution will have to respect all the necessary rules of prophylaxis. For the recovery of project beneficiaries involved in crop production, USAID Yalwa should consider distributing cowpea seeds and necessary fertilizers to affected REGIS-AG producers. The acquisition and distribution of these inputs must be organized based on a pro-market voucher system.

● Assessment of funding opportunities available for project beneficiaries -- To improve its knowledge of existing funding opportunities to guide actors in their funding requests, the USAID Yalwa access to finance facilitation team conducted a mission in Maradi, Tillabéri and Zinder from June 23 to July 7, 2020. During the mission, the team held discussions with MFIs26, commercial banks27, projects/programs28, and public sector technical services29.

During this activity, the USAID Yalwa access to finance facilitation team was able to update the project database on potential funding opportunities and requirements for credit for which USAID Yalwa beneficiaries are eligible. Discussions and collected data will guide the USAID Yalwa team on the determination of possible areas of collaboration with these credit sources structured around the signing of MoUs operationalized through Joint Work Plans. Credit opportunities available include the following: 30warrantage credit, livestock fattening credit, working capital credit and investment credit. In addition, there are possibilities with some projects and programs that provide competitive matching grants such as the World Bank funded PRODAF in Maradi (2015 - 2023) and the funding program of the Luxembourg agency for international development (LUXDEV) in Zinder.

In addition, the team noted that the outstanding loan balance to REGIS-AG beneficiaries amounts to 10 119,384 FCFA and this includes 5,480,544 FCFA of overdue loan amount. USAID Yalwa plans to bring the defaulters and the financial institution together in FY21 to determine ways to pay off the overdue loans.31

26 Banbatu, Gomni-ka, Kokari (Balleyara, Kollo, Tillabéri, and Torodi in the Tillabéri region; Filingué, Maradi, and Zinder), MECAT, ASUSU-SA (Maradi and Zinder), YARDA (Tarka Maggia Maradi), MUTUNCI, YARDA Zinder, and NIYYA Zinder. 27 BAGRI (Dakoro, Magaria, Maradi, Matameye, Tillabéri, and Zinder), and BSIC (Magaria, Maradi, Matameye, Tillabéri, and Zinder). 28 Programme d’Action Communautaire phase 3 PAC3/PDLK, Projet d’Appui à l’Agriculture Sensible aux risques Climatiques (PASEC), Programme de Développement de l’Agriculture Familiale (PRODAF), Projet Formation professionnelle pour les start-ups au Niger (ProEMPLOI), and Projet d’appui au renforcement des capacités de la chaîne des dépenses publiques des régions de Agadez, Diffa, Tahoua et Zinder (LUXDEV). 29 Direction Régionale de Développement Communautaire, I3N, and Regional Chambers of Agriculture (CRA). 30 PRODAF stands for Programme de Développement de l’Agriculture Familiale (Family Farming Development Program). 31 It is important to note that the intervention is designed such that there are no penalties for the project when farmers default in loan repayment. The project role is purely facultative while building technical and management capacities (entrepreneurship training). We educate and sensitize farmers to properly manage and reimburse their loans. We also monitor repayment performance. We build the capacity of MFI in understanding then value chains and help improve their capacity in assessing the risks as well. However, when a loan is declared “lost”, the MFI assumes the loss. MFIs are willing to take the risk because they value our facultative and capacity building efforts. 18

● Sensitization of stakeholders of the project startup in Maradi and Zinder -- During the week of August 4-9, the USAID Yalwa technical team traveled to the regions to raise awareness about the start of the USAID Yalwa project, present the project technical approach, and collect information needed to identify the Unions and influential local networks or organization the project should collaborate with. The team organized eight workshops in Maradi (4) and Zinder (4) that gathered 263 former REGIS-AG beneficiaries, including 115 women. Due to the prevailing insecurity situation, visits were not done in Tillabéri region. During the workshops, participants expressed their joy for continued USAID support through USAID Yalwa and their good will to collaborate in USAID Yalwa during its implementation.

The team also made courtesy visits to administrative and local authorities, explained what the project is about and sought their support and guidance. At the regional level, the team also visited and sensitized (i) the Governors and their staffs in Maradi and Zinder, (ii) the Sultan in Zinder, (iii) the President of Maradi Council in Mardi. At the department level, the team visited and briefed the Préfet and their staffs as well as Mayors and their staffs in Aguié, Guidan Roumdji and Dakoro in the Maradi region; and Magaria, Matameye and Mirriah in the Zinder region.

The team held meetings with the technical service providers as well, explaining the project technical approach and seeking their support and guidance. The service providers visited were the Regional Directions of Agriculture, of Livestock and Animal Health, of Commerce and Standards, of the Environment, of Primary Education, of Local Language Promotion and Alphabetization, and Chambers of Agriculture at their regional headquarters.

In addition, the workshops and meetings served as a basis to collect data on POs and Unions supported by REGIS-AG. This data is being used to classify POs inherited from REGIS-AG in their respective Unions and identify POs that are not affiliated with an existing Union. This knowledge will guide the project’s encouragement of POs to join a Union or to set up new Unions.

3.3 - Collaborative activities with USAID implementing partners The USAID Yalwa COP and many of the technical staff are very familiar with the current context of USAID implementing partners (DFSAs and TEV), and GoN Stakeholders. The intervention regions of each of the DFSAs is presented in the table below. Detailed information on geographic distribution of the relevant projects and POs USAID Yalwa inherited from REGIS-AG is presented in Annex 1.

Table 1: FFP Development Food Security Activities (DFSA) in Niger

DFSA project Lead Implementer Region WADATA Save the Children Zinder GIRMA CRS Zinder HAMZARI CARE Maradi TEV WinRock Maradi, Tillabéri and Zinder

Because of this local knowledge, the team was able to link up quickly with these key partners to learn from their experiences, clarify and understand their priority intervention areas, and plan and discuss possible

19 collaboration activities. In particular, the team held many video calls32 with each of the DFSA and TEV through Zoom and Microsoft Teams. The project’s COPs led the first meetings. Consultations between projects continued after the meetings through multiple follow-up email exchanges. With each of them, a technical working group of 2-3 employees per project was set up to determine areas of collaboration and specific activities for a joint work plan to be submitted to USAID for FY21. Progress has been made with each partner, and each shared important documents with the Yalwa Team. The USAID Yalwa team shared the project factsheet and a presentation of the project overview. All projects shared the list of their core technical lead and their contacts to facilitate direct interactions. Decisions on activities to be included in joint work plans will be finalized by the end of the refinement period. These partnerships will be formalized through the signature of MOU in early FY21. For the first year of collaborations, the following are the mutually agreed upon areas around which they are structured:

● The annual joint work plan between USAID Yalwa and TEV for FY21 is structured around three (3) areas of collaboration: (i) access to water facilitation at livestock markets, (ii) access to agro-climate and market information facilitation for producers, and (iii) access to finance facilitation for TEV PO women and youth businesses related to WASH activities. ● The joint annual work plan of USAID Yalwa and Hamzari for the year FY21 is structured around four (4) axes of collaboration areas: (i) access to quality inputs / services and market opportunities facilitation, (ii) climate resilient agricultural production practices promotion, (iii) youth and women in entrepreneurship promotion, and (iv) production and sale of nutritient rich foods enhancement facilitation. ● The joint annual work plan of USAID Yalwa and Wadata for the year FY21 is structured around three (3) axes of collaboration areas: (i) access to market opportunities facilitation, (ii) youth and women entrepreneurship promotion, and (iii) nutritious foods environment improvement facilitation. ● The joint annual work plan of USAID Yalwa and Girma for the year FY21 is structured around four (4) axes of collaboration areas: (i) access to market opportunities facilitation for value chain actors; (ii) nutritious foods environment enhancement facilitation; (iii) youth and women empowerment promotion; and (iv) producers’ organizations empowerment facilitation.

A key priority for early FY21 will be to identify producer groups that will be supported by USAID Yalwa and each of the DFSA and TEV to ensure effective layering and sequencing of interventions in villages where the projects have the same beneficiaries. These projects are still identifying their beneficiaries, and their geographic zones of intervention in communes spreads over a very wide coverage area (Annex 1). Careful deliberation of new areas USAID Yalwa must cover to overlap with the DFSA and TEV is needed to ensure that USAID Yalwa does not end up spreading it efforts over an extremely wide space and thereby limits its effectiveness. This issue has already been raised with USAID and will be looked at very closely during the second quarter.

32 The project team held three (3) TEAM meetings with TEV (June 9, June 16, and June 23), two (2) with Hamzari (May 29 on Zoom and June 9 face-to-face), one (1) with Wadata Zoom (May 21), and one (1) ZOOM meeting with Girma (29 June). 20

In addition to the meetings with the DFSA and TEV, the COP and some of the technical leaders held two meetings with the Directorate General of Agriculture to introduce Yalwa and discuss activities such as input voucher schemes, market survey, and the status of the implementation of the national seed action plan.

4. Project Management Project management activities focused on ensuring adequate project staffing, meaningful reporting, effective communication, and adequate planning and monitoring. This part of the report presents activities USAID Yalwa carried out in these areas during the reporting period (FY20).

4.1 - Project staffing Soon after signing the award, CNFA prioritized full staffing of the project. Performance on staff mobilization was strong, especially when considering the COVID-19 context under which the project startup was organized: ▪ Two of the four key personnel (i.e., Chief of Party and Senior Director of Administration and Finance) were mobilized the day CNFA signed the contract (March 18); ▪ By the end of April (i.e., 48 days upon signing the contract), the staffing count was at 45% capacity (32 of the 71 planned) including two other key personnel (DCOP and Market System Development Director)33, a fully staffed administrative and finance team and three of the technical leads (Small ruminant VC, Crop VC and Poultry VC Leads). ▪ The staffing count was at 80% capacity (57 of the 71 planned) by June 30 (end of the second quarter of implementation) and at 96% capacity (68 of the 71 planned) at the end of reporting period (FY20).

The rehiring of many well-performing REGIS-AG34 employees who expressed interest in continuing under USAID Yalwa facilitated this strong performance. The table below presents the project start up hiring performance by staff categories.

Table 2: USAID Yalwa start up hiring performance by employee category

Completion rate Justification for staff not yet hired Staff category (number) (Four remaining to be hired) Key personnel 100% (4 out of 4) Admin and Finance Team: 95% (19 out of 20) Only one of the four drivers remains to be hired. His and they are all in hiring is purposely being delayed due to the challenge their respective posts USAID Yalwa is facing in obtaining the exoneration approval from the authorities of Niger as discussed below in section 4.2. − Regional Office 100% (3 out of 3) Managers − Drivers 80% (4 out of 5)

33 However, due to COVID-19 related travel bans instituted by all countries in West Africa, they operated remotely from their home base in Accra and Lomé, respectively through regular skype calls with the COP and the technical team, and effective participation in various project meetings held with the three Food for Peace (FFP) Development Food Security Activities (DFSAs) Hamzari, Girma and Wadata, and TerreEauVie (TEV). 34 USAID-funded Resilience and Economic Growth in the Sahel – Accelerated Growth (REGIS-AG) program. 21

− Others 100% (12 out of 12) Technical Team: 94% (48 out of 51) − DCOP and COP 100% (1 out of 1) − Directors 100% (3 out of 3) − Leads 88% (7 out of 8) Only the Nutrition Lead remains. A candidate has been contracted and she will start on November 9. − Specialists 78% (7 out of 9) Two (2) remains: Communication Specialist. SBC Specialist - Candidates has been shortlisted. The candidate that will be selected will start no later than February 2021. − MEL team 100% (4 out of 4) − Advisors 100% (25 out of 25)

The 71 USAID Yalwa employees are distributed in the four (04) offices as indicated in the Table below. A detailed list of employees is presented in Annex 4.

Table 3: USAID Yalwa staffing and geographic distribution

Number of staff planned Number Project offices Technical35 Admin & Finance Total mobilized Niamey 20 11 31 30 Maradi 12 4 16 15 Tillabéri 7 2 9 8 Zinder 12 3 15 15 Total 51 20 71 68

The main staffing challenge was the COVID-19 crisis. Imposed mitigation measures made recruitment more challenging (notably the confinement and teleworking).

4.2 - Operations, Finance and Administrative Start-up USAID Yalwa team achieved the following during the reporting period: ▪ The project team identified project offices and moved into the main office in Niamey on May 1st, and in the regional offices of Tillabéri and Maradi on July 1st, 2020 and the regional office of Zinder by mid-July 2020. ▪ The main and all three regional offices have been fully operational, including with internet service, office cleaning service, office security service, and COVID-19 preventive measures recommended by the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), USAID, the Niger government, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the CNFA home office36.

35 Includes the COP. 36 CNFA set up a Covid-19 Management Committee (CMT) to monitor the situation and to respond to any situations that arise within the organization with real time leadership. On April 27, the CMC issued a covid-19 operational guidance related to travels, teleworking, procurement standards, Covid-19-related leave, office reopening, and references available. 22

▪ Other key procurements were conducted, notably the security service for expatriate and TCN residences, and health insurance for employees. Life and accident insurance procurement is being finalized. However, for more than five months now, USAID Yalwa has been facing a challenge concerning computer and vehicle procurements because the authorities of Niger are reluctant to approve the application for exoneration the project submitted. The project leadership briefed USAID Niger and the SRO about this challenge and sought their support to resolve the issue. The US Embassy in Niger and the SRO now lead the discussion with the government authorities. The project property inventory list is presented in Annex 5. ▪ At the request of USAID, the project donated a new computer to the Niger COVID-19 crisis committee. ▪ Building on REGIS-AG documentation, CNFA HQ and USAID Yalwa leadership finalized project personnel and operations manuals adapted to the USAID Yalwa context. ▪ The project held a staff orientation meeting in Niamey on August 12-14, 2020 for all technical and admin/finance staff. The orientation focused on overviews of the project policies and procedures as well as on USAID Yalwa technical objectives to ensure that the team fully understands the expectations. ▪ The SDFA conducted a structured classroom training of his team and AREN and Karkara finance teams during the aforementioned orientation meeting. Through face-to-face meetings or phone calls held on an as-needed basis, the SDFA and his within-the-project finance and administration team continued to train AREN and Karkara teams on the job on the project contractual requirements and USAID policies and procedures.

4.3 – Project communications ▪ The CNFA HQ and COP developed a press release announcing the launch of the project and project overview/fact sheet that USAID reviewed and subsequently approved in English and French versions on April 14 and May 12, respectively. The Press release was posted on the CNFA web site on April 20, 2020. ▪ The CNFA HQ and COP developed the project communication strategy USAID reviewed and subsequently approved on June 18, 2020. ▪ CNFA HQ and COP updated the project branding strategy and marketing plan from the version that was initially submitted in the proposal to reflect co-branding of USAID and CNFA logos, and to make a few other minor adjustments given the realities of implementation. CNFA submitted this updated version to USAID for review on September 8, 2020. ▪ Project communication was also conducted through notes the COP shared with USAID during weekly/by-weekly meetings the AOR organized to be briefed on activities and provide necessary guidance. These meetings included his alternate and the agriculture team at the USAID Niger Mission.

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4.4 – Project reporting and planning ▪ The project team produced and submitted the Quarter 2 and Quarter 3 FY20 reports and received USAID approval. ▪ The project team initiated the drafting of the FY21 annual work plan and joint work plans.

5. Key Problems Encountered and Resolution The USAID Yalwa activity began during the beginning of an uncertain and rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic. This situation continued during the reporting period and, as a result, the Niamey airport remained closed until August 1. This situation negatively affected project implementation as follows:

▪ The intensity of the Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP) and the Market Systems Development Director (MSDD) interactions with team members was limited. – They continued to operate remotely from Accra in Ghana and Lomé in Togo, respectively. While they were able to participate in all key meetings held during the reporting period, their effectiveness suffered because they were unable to have face-to-face meetings with the team members. ▪ In-country travel restrictions limited implementation of some activities – This is particularly the case for activities that required face-to-face interactions such as identifying the Unions and influential local networks or organizations the project should collaborate with, continuing the support to beneficiaries of the REGIS-AG pilot guinea fowl businesses promotion, and continuing the support to members of REGIS-AG clusters.

▪ The remote administration of survey questionnaires by phone was challenging -- Main challenges included the poor quality of the telephone communication networks in some localities and the difficulty some beneficiaries experienced in accessing electricity to recharge phone batteries. These challenges prolonged interview times and thereby the data collection period. In many cases, interviews were carried out in multiple sessions.

6. Key Security Issues/Concerns and Impact on Interventions The main security concern during the reporting period was the public health threat of the COVID-19 virus. However, the project team in Niamey was able to work at the office and only held meetings with outsiders when it was necessary. Using USAID and CNFA guidance, the project administration instituted and enforced health safety measures at the Niamey office in early April and subsequently in regional offices to limit transmission of the COVID-19 virus among staff.

Additionally, terrorist attacks In the Tillabéri region have been a security risk. The area has been in a state of emergency, which limited the mobility of NGOs for implementation of activities. USAID Yalwa developed a mechanism to cope with this situation by using mobile phones and tablets to collect data from ReCom and beneficiaries.

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7. Performance in FY20 and progress towards achieving LOP performance results As indicated above, the first year of USAID Yalwa implementation (March 18 – September 30) focused on project operational and administrative start-up and project refinement activities. Other technical activities conducted were limited to (i) monitoring the performance of clusters and beneficiaries involved in the pilot guinea fowl business promotion inherited from REGIS-AG, (ii) conducting surveys to assess how the COVID- 19 crisis and the floods affected project beneficiaries, (iii) updating the project data base on livestock markets, and (iv) assessing funding opportunities available to project beneficiaries. At the end of the reporting period, the project team was still working on USAID comments on this second draft of the AMELP with the goal to submit a revised version by November 25, 2020 as agreed upon with USAID. The project MEL team also drafted a baseline methodology with the support of IPA and the CNFA MEL team and this draft is currently being reviewed with USAID. The baseline study will be carried out in the first quarter of FY21 with support from an external team. Consequently, the team is only able to report on two indicators listed in the table below with the level of performance. Details on key programmatic achievements, including potential impacts on target populations, best practices and lessons learned, will be shared in future quarterly reports. − Number of individuals participating in USG food security programs A total of 8,048 individuals (5,889 women and 7,206 age 30 or more) participated in the project activities. These were largely REGIS-AG beneficiaries the project monitored. This corresponds to 31% of the FY target of 26,260. This performance is attributable to the fact that the project was still in a refinement period. As a result, as indicated above, few activities were implemented. The project team is confident that, with the intensification of the implementation of activities in FY21 performance will significantly improve.

− Value of agriculture-related financing accessed as a result of USG assistance Project beneficiaries were only able to access $12,740 of credit, which corresponds to 4% of the FY target of $300 000. This poor performance is also attributable to the fact that the project was still in a refinement period. This amount is only for one (1) Union and three (3) POs the project supported. The project team is confident that performance will significantly improve with the intensification of the implementation of activities in FY21.

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Annexes

Annex 1: List of USAID Yalwa, DFS, and TEV intervention Communes

# PO inherited from REGIS-AG Communes covered by: Number Commune Small Cowpea Poultry Total Hamzari Wadata GIRMA TEV ruminant Maradi 1 Aguié 1 10 5 16 2 Bermo 5 5 3 Chadakori 10 10 X X 4 CU Maradi 2 2 4 5 Dakoro 3 1 4 6 Djirataoua 1 6 7 7 Gabi 2 2 4 8 Gadabéji 2 2 9 Gangara 1 2 3 10 Guidan Roumdji 5 14 11 30 X X 11 Guidan Sori 6 6 12 X X 12 Hawandawaki 1 1 13 Kanan Bakaché 1 1 14 Mayahi 14 14 28 15 Sabon Machi 2 4 8 14 16 Sae Saboua 2 17 19 17 Safo 1 1 18 Serkin Hausa 5 5 19 Tchadoua 16 1 17 20 Tibiri 2 2 Total 63 86 36 185 Tillabéri 1 Filingué 11 16 2 29 X 2 Hamdalaye 1 1 3 Imanan 5 5 X 4 Kollo 1 2 3 5 Kourthèye 5 2 6 13 6 Makalondi 1 1 7 Sakoira 3 8 11 X 8 Simiri 5 5 9 Tagazar 1 2 3 6 X 10 Tondia Kandia 5 10 15 X 11 Torodi 5 4 2 11 Total 26 36 38 100 Zinder 26

# PO inherited from REGIS-AG Communes covered by: Number Commune Small Cowpea Poultry Total Hamzari Wadata GIRMA TEV ruminant 1 Bandé 6 13 4 23 X X 2 Dogo 1 1 4 6 3 Dogo Dogo 2 2 X X 4 Doungas 1 1 X X 5 Droum 4 5 6 15 6 Gafati 1 1 7 Garagoumsa 5 5 8 Kwaya 1 1 X X 9 Magaria 1 2 3 X X 10 Matameye 1 1 11 Mirriah 1 2 5 8 12 Tsaouni 2 4 6 13 Yaouri 4 4 8 14 Zermou 1 1 15 Zinder CU1 6 1 1 8 16 Zinder CU2 1 1 1 3 17 Zinder CU3 2 1 3 18 Zinder CU4 1 3 4 Total 35 42 22 99

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Annex 2: Location and Characteristics of the 15 Livestock Markets Previously Supported by REGIS-AG and Now Supported by USAID Yalwa a) Location, day of animation and project support

Market supported by Departm Name of Market supported by PRAPS37 Day of Market Market Monitored Commune Type of Market MCC and type of ent Market and type of support Animation by SIM Bétail support Region of Zinder Mirriah Mirriah Mirriah Gathering No No Sunday No Yes; Building of infrastructure, Mirriah Dogo Gada Gathering No installation of market Monday Yes equipment, and market governance support Magaria Koya Koya Gathering No No Thursday No Yes; Building of infrastructure, Kantché Yaouri Katofou Collect No installation of market Monday Yes equipment, and market governance support Yes; Building of infrastructure, Magaria Magaria Magaria Export No installation of market Saturday Yes equipment, and market governance support Yes; Building of infrastructure, Kantché Matamèye Matamèye Export No installation of market Saturday Yes equipment, and market governance support Region of Maradi Dakoro Dakoro Dakoro Export Yes; No Friday Yes

37 PRAPS stands for: Projet d’Appui au Pastoralisme au Sahel 28

Market supported by Departm Name of Market supported by PRAPS37 Day of Market Market Monitored Commune Type of Market MCC and type of ent Market and type of support Animation by SIM Bétail support Building of infrastructure, and market governance support Mayahi Mayahi Mayahi Gathering No No Monday Yes No; This market was Aguié Tchadoua Tchadoua Export No Friday Yes constructed by the PRODEX38 No; Sabon This market was Dakoro Sabon Machi Export No Tuesday Yes Machi constructed by the PRODEX Yes; Building of Guidam Guidam Guidam Roumdji Export infrastructure, and No Sunday Yes Roumdji Roumdji market governance support Guidam No Guidam Roumdji El Kolta Collect No Saturday No Roumdji Region of Tillabéri Filingué Filingué Filingué Gathering No No Sunday No Yes; Building of Torodi Torodi Torodi Export infrastructure, and No Friday Yes market governance support Balleyara Tagazar Balleyara Export No; No Sunday Yes

38 Projet de Développement des Exportations et des Marchés Agro-Sylvo-Pastoraux (PRODEX) 29

Market supported by Departm Name of Market supported by PRAPS37 Day of Market Market Monitored Commune Type of Market MCC and type of ent Market and type of support Animation by SIM Bétail support this market was constructed by UEMOA39

39 West Africa Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) 30

b) Market infrastructure available

MARKETS REGIS-AG SUPPORTED Infrastructure GUIDAN SABON DAKORO MAYAHI EL KOLTA TCHADOUA BALLEYARA FILINGUÉ TORODI GADA MAGARIA MATAMEYE KWAYA KATOHOU MIRRIAH ROUMDJI MACHI Fence Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Lockable gate No Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Drinking place No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes No Yes No Drinking place No No No No No No Yes No No Yes Yes Yes No Yes No linked to SEEN Water network/founta No No Yes No Yes No Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes No Yes No in/SEEN Accommodation No No No No No No No No No No Yes Yes No No No Animal input No No No No No No Yes Yes No No Yes Yes No No No store Traditional No No Yes No No No No No No Yes No No No No No boarding dock Modern No No No No Yes Yes Yes No No No Yes Yes No No No boarding dock Shelters Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes No Yes No Administrative No No Yes No Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes No Yes No bloc/wing Vaccination No No No No Yes Yes No Yes No Yes Yes Yes No Yes No corridor Guard house No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Yes No No No Land reserved for future No No Yes No No No No Yes No Yes Yes Yes No No No extension Weighing scale No No No No Yes No No No No No No No No No No Restaurants No No No No No No No No No Yes No No No No No Housing for Yes Yes No No No No No No No Yes No No No No No livestock agents Enclosure Yes Yes No No Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes No Yes No Vet pharmacy No No No No No No Yes No No Yes No Yes No No No

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MARKETS REGIS-AG SUPPORTED Infrastructure GUIDAN SABON DAKORO MAYAHI EL KOLTA TCHADOUA BALLEYARA FILINGUÉ TORODI GADA MAGARIA MATAMEYE KWAYA KATOHOU MIRRIAH ROUMDJI MACHI Office for the No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes No Yes No vet doctor Slaughter house No No No No Yes Yes No Yes No No No No No No No Bloc reserved No No No No No No Yes No No No No No No No No for fattening Toilets No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes No Yes No Mosque No No No No No No Yes Yes No No No No No No No Electrification No No No No No No Yes No No No Yes Yes No Yes No

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Annex 3: List of the 5 new Livestock Markets USAID Yalwa selected, their location, day of animation and project support

Market supported Market supported by Day of Market Name of Type of Region Department Commune by MCC and type PRAPS40 and type of Market Monitored by Market Market of support support Animation SIM Bétail Tillabéri Kollo Karma Boubon Gathering No41 No Wednesday Yes Tillabéri Kollo Hamdallaye Hamdallaye Gathering Yes No Tuesday No Tillabéri Kollo Kollo Kollo Gathering No No Friday Yes Zinder Goure Guidiguir Guidiguir Export No42 Thursday Yes Zinder Doungass Doungass Doungass Gathering No Yes Sunday Yes

40 PRAPS stands for: Projet d’Appui au Pastoralisme au Sahel 41 Constructed by PRODEX 42 Constructed by PRODEX 33

Annex 4: List of Yalwa employees at the end of FY20

Staff name Position Organization Location Start date 1. Georges Dimithe COP CNFA Niamey March 18, 2020 2. Jean Aimé Ntumba Senior DFA CNFA Niamey March 18, 2020 3. Rahila Arma HR/Admin Manager CNFA Niamey April 1, 2020 4. Koudaidjé Alidji Accountant Assistant CNFA Niamey April 1, 2020 5. Seydou Djibo Driver CNFA Niamey April 1, 2020 6. Youssouf Camara DCOP CNFA Niamey April 10, 2020 7. Kokou Zotoglo Market System Dev. Director CNFA Niamey April 10, 2020 8. Salissou Issa Input & Services Dev. Director CNFA Niamey April 13, 2020 9. Tankari Mamoudou Grants Manager CNFA Niamey April 13, 2020 10. Fati Elisabeth Amadou Regional Office Manager CNFA Zinder April 13, 2020 11. Alassane Garba Logistics Assistant CNFA Zinder April 13, 2020 12. Safiatou Amadou Logistics Assistant CNFA Tillabéri April 13, 2020 13. Hawa Kimba Hamadou Logistics Assistant CNFA Maradi April 13, 2020 14. Daouda Boubacar Driver CNFA Niamey April 13, 2020 15. Issoufou Mamane Driver CNFA Niamey April 13, 2020 16. Aghali Aboubacar Driver CNFA Zinder April 13, 2020 17. Mahaman Laouali Salifou Rural Finance Lead CNFA Niamey April 13, 2020 18. Seyni Issifou Crop Value Chain Lead CNFA Niamey April 13, 2020 19. Saley Tiambou Poultry Value Chain Lead CNFA Niamey April 13, 2020 20. Nana Mariama Amadou Org. Capacity Devpt. Specialist CNFA Niamey April 13, 2020 21. Salifou Ramatou Issaka Gender Specialist CNFA Niamey April 13, 2020 22. Issoufou Ibrahim Beidou Youth Engagement Lead CNFA Niamey April 13, 2020 23. Attahirou Garba Barthé BDS & Capacity Building Lead CNFA Niamey April 13, 2020 24. Daouaye Mahamadou Input Market Dev. Specialist CNFA Niamey April 13, 2020 25. Abdourahamane Ali Touré Livestock Market Mgnt Specialist CNFA Niamey April 13, 2020 26. Yaou Salifou Youth Engagement Specialist CNFA Maradi April 13, 2020 27. Haboubacar Issaka Sabo Rural Finance Advisor CNFA Zinder April 13, 2020 28. Abdou Amadou Rural Finance Advisor CNFA Tillabéri April 13, 2020 29. Youssouf P. Diarra Tidjani Senior MEL Manager CNFA Niamey April 13, 2020 30. Amadou Kalilou MEL Assistant CNFA Maradi April 13, 2020 31. Garba Bakoye MEL Assistant CNFA Tillabéri April 13, 2020 32. Aichatou Thiombiano Senior Procurement Officer CNFA Niamey April 27, 2020 33. Abdoul Kaker Hambali Accountant AREN Maradi May 1, 2020 34. Sanoussi Malam Maman Poultry Value Chain Advisor KARKARA Maradi May 1, 2020 35. Seyni Moussa Poultry Value Chain Advisor KARKARA Tillabéri May 1, 2020 36. Hamissou Adamou Crop Value Chain Advisor KARKARA Maradi May 1, 2020 37. Boureima Samailo Crop Value Chain Advisor KARKARA Tillabéri May 1, 2020 38. Salifou Naroua Crop Value Chain Advisor KARKARA Zinder May 1, 2020 39. Nassirou Elhdji Labo Functional Literacy Lead KARKARA Niamey May 1, 2020 40. Salissou Oumarou Functional Literacy Advisor KARKARA Zinder May 1, 2020 41. Adele Melley Bienvenu Nutrition Director HKI Niamey May 4, 2020 42. Djarafou Amadou Small Ruminants VC Lead AREN Niamey June 1, 2020 43. Boubacar Dotia Omar Animal Health Specialist AREN Maradi June 1, 2020 44. Soumaila Dadi Small Ruminants VC Advisor AREN Zinder June 1, 2020 45. Amadou Touré Hamadoun Small Ruminants VC Advisor AREN Zinder June 1, 2020 46. Salissou Abdou Small Ruminants VC Advisor AREN Maradi June 1, 2020 47. Gambi Betodji Small Ruminants VC Advisor AREN Tillabéri June 1, 2020 48. Harouna Mouloul Poultry Value Chain Advisor KARKARA Zinder June 1, 2020

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Staff name Position Organization Location Start date 49. Issihaka Malam Sani Almajir Poultry Value Chain Advisor KARKARA Zinder June 1, 2020 50. Moctar alam Abdou Amadou Cowpea Value Chain Advisor KARKARA Zinder June 1, 2020 51. Samaila Kondo Functional Literacy Specialist KARKARA Niamey June 1, 2020 52. Mahamadou Foumakoye Functional Literacy Advisor KARKARA Maradi June 1, 2020 53. Issa Mounkeila Abdoul Aziz Functional Literacy Advisor KARKARA Tillaberi June 1, 2020 54. Yaou Habou Functional Literacy Advisor KARKARA Zinder August, 1, 2020 55. Souradji Farouk Functional Literacy Advisor KARKARA Maradi August, 1, 2020 56. Maman Rabiou Batouré Accountant KARKARA Niamey June 1, 2020 57. Rabi Soumana Senior Accountant CNFA Niamey June 1, 2020 58. Zaratou Issoufou Alhad Bilingual Executive Assistant CNFA Niamey June 15, 2020 59. Adamou Moussa Birma Regional Office Manager CNFA Tillabéri June 15, 2020 60. Ismael Tanimoune Abdou Regional Office Manager CNFA Maradi July 15, 2020 61. Sani Alhassane Abdoulaye MEL Assistant CNFA Zinder August, 12, 2020 62. TBD Communication Specialist CNFA Niamey TBD 63. Boubé Abdoulaye Rural Finance Advisor CNFA Maradi October 1, 2020 64. Mahamadou M. Karmogo Org Capacity Development CNFA Maradi October 1, 2020 Advisor 65. TBD Driver CNFA Maradi TBD 66. Gogé Haoua Aouami Nutrition Lead HKI Niamey November 9, 2020 67. TBD SBC Specialist HKI Maradi TBD 68. Oumarou Kandagou Idrissa Nutrition Advisor HKI Tillabéri November 1, 2020 69. Rabiou Issoufou Nutrition Advisor HKI Zinder November 1, 2020 70. Adou Habou Nutrition Advisor HKI Zinder November 1, 2020 71. Zeinabou Ali Kiale Nutrition Advisor HKI Maradi November 1, 2020

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Annex 5: Project performance and progress towards achieving LOP performance results An update on progress towards annual and life of project targets will be included in future quarterly reports once the AMELP is approved.

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Annex 6: FY20 Financial Table

Description Total Budget Quarter 2 & Quarter 4 FY FY20 Year to Remaining Quarter 3-FY 20 Date Budget 20 7/1/2020 to 03/18/2020 9/30/2020 to 6/30/2020

Personnel and Allowances $7,030,225.37 $373,143.44 $406,533.47 $779,676.91 $6,250,548.46 Fringe Benefits $2,774,222.54 $119,960.88 $82,731.21 $202,692.09 $2,571,530.45 Travel, Per Diem and Ground Transportation $1,313,066.39 $2,652.06 $38,473.99 $41,126.05 $1,271,940.34 Equipment $74,000.00 - - - $74,000.00 Supplies $337,978.84 $2,832.27 $16,943.75 $19,776.02 $318,202.82 Contractual $1,002,342.72 $8,320.17 $129,873.99 $138,194.16 $864,148.56 Sub-recipients and - - - Grants $6,262,775.21 $6,262,775.21 Other Direct Costs* $2,842,785.27 $88,262.21 $105,423.80 $193,686.01 $2,649,099.26 Total Direct Costs $1,375,151.2 $21,637,396.34 $595,171.03 $779,980.21 4 $20,262,245.10

Indirect Costs $5,514,876.60 $213,487.87 $233,193.15 $446,681.02 $5,068,195.58

Crisis Modifier $2,000,000.00 - - $2,000,000.00 $1,821,832.2 Total Costs $29,152,272.94 $808,658.90 $1,013,173.36 $27,330,440.68 6

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Annex 7: Success Stories There are no Success Stories for submission this reporting period given the focus on operational and programmatic start-up.

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Annex 8: USAID Yalwa Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Report Not applicable this reporting period. The USAID Yalwa focused on refinement period deliverables that consisted essentially in carrying out a number of studies. USAID approved the project Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Plan on October 1, 2020. Consequently, the project EMMP Report will only be submitted starting in FY21.

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Annex 9: USAID Yalwa Activity Contingency Planning Report Not applicable this reporting period. USAID is currently reviewing the draft Activity Contingency Plan (ACP. USAID Yalwa ACP Report will be submitted following its approval.)

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