Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions

What Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions does

The Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions (SACAU) is a South Africa-registered not-for-profit company (NPC) operating as a membership-based regional farmers' organisation representing the common interests of farmers in southern Africa. Founded with its Secretariat in 2003 and formally registered under Section 21 of the Companies Act, 2008 in 2006, SACAU serves 19-20 national farmers' association members across 12-13 countries in the region, including small, medium, and large-scale commercial farming sectors. The organisation is officially recognised by COMESA and SADC as the farmers' voice on agricultural development matters and is a founding member of the Pan-African Farmers' Organisation (PAFO) and the SADC Business Council.

SACAU's core offerings are non-commercial and consist of policy advocacy and representation at regional, continental, and global forums; capacity development through the SACAU Academy (entrepreneurship and leadership training, supported by Andreas Hermes Akademie); information dissemination via digital communication platforms, publications, and periodic member monitoring surveys; and convening services via consultation workshops. Digital technology is described as the 'backbone' of the new way of working, encompassing the website, social media channels (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube), email newsletters, and downloadable publications. The organisation is POPIA-compliant for the protection of personal information processed through its digital platforms.

The organisation's revenue model is twofold: recurring membership contributions from national farmers' associations (subscribed recurring), and project/programme funding from development partners (managed services). Key donors include the European Commission, IFAD, WE Effect, NORAD, and the World Economic Forum, alongside technical support from partners such as Andreas Hermes Akademie. Governance is exercised through a Board of Directors accountable to the AGM and managed by a Secretariat led by CEO Ishmael Sunga. No commercial pricing, product licensing, or transactional revenue exists, consistent with its not-for-profit mandate.

Name

Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions

Legal name

Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions

Website

https://sacau.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Short description

SACAU is a South Africa-registered not-for-profit regional farmers' organisation representing 19-20 national farmers' associations across 12-13 countries in southern Africa, delivering policy advocacy, capacity development, and information dissemination services funded by membership fees and development partner grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Association / Farmers' Representation Services

SIC

Agricultural Services (700)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGABAB

Agriculture & Food Security Development

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/International Development & Poverty Alleviation

SECONDARYBPAGAGAI

Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Environmental & Conservation Organizations

SECONDARYAFACABAL

Carbon, Sustainability & Farm Certification Support (Agro-Environmental Advisory)

Agriculture & Food Production/Agricultural Services (Custom Farming, Agronomy, Veterinary)/Crop Consulting & Agronomy Services (Soil Health, Nutrient Planning, Yield Consulting)

Keywords

• Farmers association representation
• Agricultural policy advocacy
• Regional farmer organisation
• Agricultural capacity development
• Farmer organisation membership

Headquarters

HQ city

Centurion

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: SACAU is a membership-based organisation with national farmers' associations as members. Revenue is derived from membership contributions.
2. Development Partner Funding: The organisation's funding model is largely reliant on public resources. Financial and technical support is provided by development partners including European Commission, IFAD, WE Effect, NORAD, and others.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SACAU is a membership-based regional farmers' organisation that represents the common interests of farmers in southern Africa through its 19-20 member national farmers' associations across 12-13 countries. Its core offerings include policy advocacy and representation at regional, continental and global levels, capacity development programmes (notably the SACAU Academy), information dissemination through digital platforms and publications, and targeted initiatives such as the Poultry Initiative for Southern Africa and structured monitoring surveys on issues like COVID-19 impacts.

Product overview

SACAU is a membership-based regional farmers' organisation representing national farmers' associations across southern Africa. The organisation does not offer commercial technology products; rather, it provides advocacy representation, capacity development services through the SACAU Academy, and strategic information services to its member farmer organisations. The primary offerings include membership services, policy advocacy, the SACAU Academy for entrepreneurship and leadership training, the Poultry Initiative for Southern Africa, and digital communication platforms for disseminating information to members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SACAU Membership Services Membership-based services to national farmers' organisations across southern Africa, providing advocacy representation, capacity development programmes, and strategic information dissemination to member associations.
• SACAU Academy Capacity development programme focused on entrepreneurship and leadership development for farmers' organisations across southern Africa.
• Poultry Initiative for Southern Africa Targeted initiative to support farmers' participation in the regional poultry value chain through SACAU's convening platform.
• COVID-19 Monitoring Survey Programme Periodic structured monitoring surveys of member national farmers' associations across southern African countries to track the impact of COVID-19 on farmers and inform responsive programming.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Pan-African Farmers' Organisation (PAFO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSACAU is a founding member of PAFO which coordinates the voice of African farmers at continental level.
• World Farmers' OrganisationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSACAU is associated with the World Farmers' Organisation and participates in its structures and initiatives.
• AgricordcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSACAU is associated with Agricord, an organisation supporting farmers' organisations.
• SADC Business CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSACAU is a founding member of the SADC Business Council, enabling business advocacy and coordination in the southern African region.
• Reseau des Organizations Paysannes et de Producteurs agricoles de l'Afrique de l'Ouest (ROPPA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSACAU works closely with ROPPA, the West Africa regional farmers' organisation, on continental farmer representation matters.
• Plateforme Sous-Regionale des Organizations Paysannes d'Afrique Centrale (PROPAC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSACAU collaborates with PROPAC, the Central Africa regional farmers' platform.
• Eastern Africa Farmers' Federation (EAFF)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSACAU works with EAFF on matters of common interest for farmers across the African continent.
• Union Maghrebin des Agriculteurs (UMNAGRI)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSACAU collaborates with UMNAGRI representing farmers in North Africa.
• World Economic Forum (WEF)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSACAU participates in WEF structures and initiatives, including the World Economic Food Systems Initiative. WEF provides both financial and strategic support.
• CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSACAU collaborates with CCAFS on climate change related work and serves on its structures. CCAFS provides technical support to SACAU.
• Andreas Hermes Akademie (AHA)majorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAHA provides essential technical support to SACAU, particularly in capacity development initiatives including the SACAU Academy.
• United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSACAU serves on structures of the UNFSS and actively prepares farmers' organisations for participation in UNFSS processes. CEO Ishmael Sunga is part of the UNFSS Champions Network.
• African Union (AU)/New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSACAU serves on AU/NEPAD structures and engages with continental development frameworks.
• Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSACAU participates in AGRA structures and initiatives for agricultural transformation in Africa.
• Montpellier Malabo Panel of ExpertsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSACAU CEO Ishmael Sunga is a member of the Malabo Montpellier Panel which provides policy research and innovation advice for African agriculture.
• Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSACAU participates in FOLU which focuses on transforming food and land use systems for sustainability.
• Generation AfricaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSACAU serves on Generation Africa structures working to attract youth to agriculture.
• Commission on Sustainable Agriculture IntensificationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSACAU serves on the Commission on Sustainable Agriculture Intensification.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• AgriCord: AgriCord is a network of agri-agencies that supports farmers' organisations globally and is an explicit SACAU partner. While not a peer in the membership sense, it is a key enabling and capacity-building partner with overlapping beneficiary base.
• Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretariat: SADC is one of the regional economic communities that officially recognises SACAU. It is not a peer organisation but a key institutional counterpart and policy environment for SACAU's southern African agricultural advocacy work.
• Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA): AGRA is a continental agricultural transformation organisation with which SACAU collaborates. It operates at a larger scale and is more focused on agricultural input and market systems than pure advocacy, making it an adjacent ecosystem player rather than a direct peer.
• Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA): COMESA is the other regional economic community that officially recognises SACAU as the farmers' voice. Like SADC, it is an institutional counterpart rather than a peer, but shapes the policy landscape in which SACAU operates.

Broad incumbents

• World Farmers' Organisation (WFO): WFO is the global farmers' organisation of which SACAU is an associate member. It serves an analogous advocacy and representation function for national farmers' organisations worldwide, at a broader geographic scale.
• Pan-African Farmers' Organisation (PAFO): PAFO is the continental umbrella of which SACAU is a founding member. It coordinates the voice of African farmers at AU and global levels, providing a broader, continent-wide platform that includes but extends beyond SACAU's southern Africa focus.

Direct peers

• Réseau des Organisations Paysannes et de Producteurs Agricoles de l'Afrique de l'Ouest (ROPPA): ROPPA is the West African regional farmers' organisation and a SACAU peer across all PAFO continental platforms. It serves the same membership-based advocacy function for West African national farmers' unions as SACAU does for southern Africa.
• Eastern Africa Farmers' Federation (EAFF): EAFF is a regional farmers' organisation representing national farmers' associations across Eastern Africa. It is the most direct structural peer to SACAU, with an identical membership-based model, continental affiliations (PAFO) and shared donor base.
• Plateforme Sous-Régionale des Organisations Paysannes d'Afrique Centrale (PROPAC): PROPAC is the Central African regional farmers' platform and an explicit SACAU partner within PAFO. It performs an identical function for Central African national farmers' associations as SACAU does in southern Africa.
• Union Maghrébine des Agriculteurs (UMNAGRI): UMNAGRI represents farmers' organisations across North Africa and is an explicit SACAU peer within PAFO. It has the same membership-based, advocacy-focused mandate for its region.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sacau_media
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@SACAUsacau
• Facebookfacebook.com/sacau.org
• Instagraminstagram.com/sacau_official

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions