Committed to development: develoPPP programme is celebrating its 25th anniversary

For 25 years, the develoPPP programme has been supporting private sector enterprises with the implementation of sustainable projects in developing and emerging market countries. Since the programme was launched with funds from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), it has enabled over 2,700 development partnerships in more than 60 countries, with a total investment volume of EUR 1.8 billion.

The develoPPP programme has adapted to changing global challenges and needs. Since 2019, companies have received funding contributions of up to EUR 2 million from develoPPP Classic for projects that have a development impact. A requirement is that private partners must contribute at least the same amount. With develoPPP Ventures, start-ups have also been able to obtain growth funding of EUR 100,000 since 2021, which makes market entry easier and allows them to take advantage of potential for innovation. The promotional programme, which is currently implemented by DEG’s subsidiary DEG Impulse and the German development agency GIZ, is part of the BMZ’s “Partners in Transformation” scheme.

Case study: Selecta Kenya

The German plant producer Gemini Green GmbH & Co. KG, part of the Selecta one Group, is a leading grower of ornamental plants. Since 1999, its subsidiary Selecta Kenya – a long-standing customer of DEG – has cultivated bedding and balcony plants, shrubs and cut flowers in Kenya. DEG Impulse is now supporting the company through the develoPPP programme with setting up qualification structures for predominantly young, female workers in the Kenyan highlands and in Nairobi. In addition, the company is training 500 new workers. The develoPPP project is also helping to improve access to free medical care for a total of 1,500 employees and their families.

Companies and partner countries benefit

“The coupling of development policy approaches with strategic business objectives is crucial to the sustainability of develoPPP projects,” says Daniel Thomann, head of the develoPPP programme at DEG Impulse. In the last five years alone, DEG and DEG Impulse have helped over 66,000 people to increase their income and almost 12,000 people to find a job through the develoPPP programme.

“In the face of global challenges such as climate change, skills shortages and digital transformation, develoPPP remains an important and simultaneously flexible instrument for promoting private sector solutions in developing and emerging market countries,” adds Marco Christ, Managing Director of DEG Impulse, looking to the future.

DEG Impulse: develoPPP Classic