Community Innovation Hub and the German Embassy Formalize Partnership around AgriFemmes Labs Khombole

The Community Innovation Hub and the German Embassy Formalize Their Partnership Around AgriFemmes Labs Khombole.

On Thursday, May 21, 2026, the Community Innovation Hub (CIH) signed a grant agreement with the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Senegal as part of the implementation of AgriFemmes Labs Khombole, an initiative dedicated to strengthening agricultural production led by women through infrastructure rehabilitation, capacity building, and the testing of innovation solutions adapted to local realities.

This signing marks an important milestone for a project rooted in a simple belief: innovation only has meaning when it addresses concrete needs, strengthens local capacities, and improves the conditions in which communities organize themselves, produce, and make decisions.

In Khombole, women farmers are already producing, organizing collectively, and contributing to the local economy despite significant challenges. Among the issues identified is the deterioration of the existing drip irrigation network, which limits irrigation efficiency, increases the burden of manual labor, and reduces the productive potential of the plots managed by the cooperative.

Thanks to the support of the German Embassy, the project will help restore this system to optimal working condition, notably through repairing leaks, replacing damaged sections, and improving irrigation consistency.

AgriFemmes Labs Khombole will also include a capacity-building component led by the Community Innovation Hub, focusing on agricultural planning, the use of simple digital tools for cooperative management, and women’s leadership in decision-making spaces. This aspect is essential to ensure that investment in infrastructure is accompanied by the skills, governance practices, and ownership needed for sustainable use.

A pilot phase will also make it possible to test, on a limited section of the site, a prototype smart irrigation system developed by female engineering students from the Dakar American University of Science and Technology (DAUST). This experiment will help observe how locally developed technology can contribute to more efficient, more consistent, and less labor-intensive irrigation for women farmers.

The project therefore brings together partners with complementary roles: the German Embassy, which among/between other things, provides financial support for rehabilitating the irrigation system; the CIH, which oversees coordination and capacity building; the DAUST students, who designed the smart irrigation prototype; and the Khombole Agricultural Cooperative, whose active engagement remains central to the project’s implementation, learning process, and long-term sustainability.

For the CIH, this initiative goes beyond simply repairing equipment. It is part of a broader effort to build a practical model of community-based agricultural innovation, where women farmers are not seen merely as beneficiaries, but as actors, users, testers, and co-owners of the solutions introduced.

As the United Nations has declared 2026 the International Year of Women Farmers, AgriFemmes Labs Khombole aligns with a global movement recognizing the central role of women in agri-food systems. At the local level, the project translates this recognition into concrete action: improving production conditions, strengthening collective capacities, and supporting more resilient, autonomous, and inclusive agriculture.

Through this initiative, the CIH reaffirms its commitment to connecting local knowledge, institutional partnerships, and practical innovation solutions in service of stronger and more resilient communities.

Share on:

Related articles

Show more
Nancy Akpo

Nancy Akpo

Communication Intern

Nancy AKPO is a Communication & Development Intern at the Community Innovation Hub, where she supports content creation, digital presence, and funding opportunity research across the organization's programs.

Her work combines digital communication and development strategy. She contributes to building CIH's editorial presence across platforms, producing content that makes the organization's impact visible and accessible, while also supporting the identification of funding opportunities aligned with CIH's mission.

El Hadji Malick Niang

El Hadji Malick Niang

Technology & Innovation Intern

El Hadji Malick NIANG is a Developer Intern in Technology and Innovation at the Community Innovation Hub, where he supports the design, prototyping, and technical exploration of digital tools for community-focused programs.

His internship work combines software development, automation, data structuring, and applied research. He contributes to building and testing practical solutions such as dashboards, scripts, technical prototypes, and analytical models, while also helping assess how digital tools can support areas like community health, agriculture, inclusion, and local development.

Fatoumata Bakhoum Samb

Fatoumata Bakhoum Samb

Administrative and Financial Manager

Fatoumata BAKHOUM SAMB is a Senegalese professional specialized in administrative, accounting, and financial management, holding a degree in Accounting and Finance from ESUP Dakar. She has over ten years of experience in accounting supervision, budget management, and treasury management, gained within consulting firms and private companies.

After beginning her career at Sigma – Cabinet de Conseils Comptables et Fiscaux, where she progressed from Accounting Assistant to Administrative and Tax Manager, she joined Fideo Holding in 2019. There she successively held the positions of Accountant and then Administrative, Accounting and Financial Manager, overseeing teams, managing client and supplier portfolios, handling tax and social compliance, and implementing financial procedures and internal audits.

Her expertise expanded into the renewable energy sector when she joined Coseer Energy as Administrative and Financial Manager (RAF). There she contributed to the financial and administrative structuring of projects linked to the energy transition, strengthening her profile in a sector that is strategic for sustainable development.

She serves as Administrative and Financial Manager (RAF), actively contributing to the implementation of transparent management systems and to the support of community projects focused on inclusion, education, and innovation.

Versatile and rigorous, she is proficient with tools such as Sage Saari 100, Odoo, QuickBooks, and the Office Suite, as well as modern methods of document management and budget tracking. Her career reflects an ability to move between the private sector, renewable energy, and social innovation, while keeping one constant: the pursuit of efficiency and transparency in financial and administrative management.

Outside of work, she enjoys family outings and shopping in her free time.

Steve Charvet

Steve Charvet

Technology and Innovation Manager

Steve CHARVET is Technology and Innovation Manager at the Community Innovation Hub, where he oversees the development of technological tools, serves as the interface between external technical teams and CIH across all ongoing projects, and contributes to the organization's digital strategy.

With a background at the crossroads of technology and development, he brings expertise in geographic information systems, applied artificial intelligence, and the design of digital tools built for resource-limited contexts. His approach is straightforward: put technology at the service of people, not the other way around.

At CIH, Steve coordinates the deployment of technology platforms across a wide range of areas, including community health, agriculture,and projects that supports gender equity. He also manages the organization's internal monitoring and funding tracking systems, and contributes to identifying partnership opportunities to grow the program portfolio.

Before entering the development sector, Steve worked as a composer in France in the late 1990s, at a time when the music industry was undergoing a profound transformation, just as digital technology was beginning to reshape the way sound was created and shared. That chapter left him with a conviction he still carries today: the most powerful technologies are those that amplify what people have to express at their best.

Sylvia Dooper

Sylvia Dooper

Partnerships and Development Officer

Sylvia DOOPER is the Strategic Partnerships and Development Officer at Community Innovation Hub, where she works alongside the Executive Director to drive the organization's resource mobilization, project design, and strategic alliance building.

With a solid background in international development, diplomacy, governance, and partnership building, she has worked across issues ranging from local governance and higher education to global health, advocacy, and regional development. Her work is rooted in connecting people, ideas, and resources to champion locally led solutions and create sustainable, long-term impact through meaningful collaboration.

At CIH, Sylvia focuses on identifying and cultivating strategic partnerships, developing high-impact concept notes, and designing funding proposals across health, climate resilience, agriculture, education and inclusive governance.

Sylvia holds a Bachelor's degree in International Development Studies from Wageningen University in the Netherlands, a Master's degree in Middle Eastern Studies from Lund University in Sweden, and a Master's degree in International Relations and Diplomacy from Antwerp University in Belgium. She has gained experience at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the European Commission, VNG International, The ONE Campaign, and GDI Advisors.

Outside of work, Sylvia is passionate about sports. She thrives on challenges that require discipline, resilience, and continuous improvement, qualities she seamlessly brings into her professional life.

Assiatou Kama Niang

Assiatou Kama Niang

Executive Director

Assiatou KAMA NIANG is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Community Innovation Hub, where she leads the organization's strategic direction, partnerships, resource mobilization and program development across Africa.

With more than a decade of experience in public health, public policy, gender equity and community engagement, she has worked across research, policy analysis, partnership development and multi-country program management. Her work is rooted in translating evidence, technology and local knowledge into practical solutions that respond to community priorities.

At CIH, Assiatou provides strategic leadership for the organization's growth across health, climate resilience, agriculture, education and inclusive governance. She guides the development of CIH's program portfolio, cultivates institutional and technical partnerships, leads resource mobilization efforts and ensures that the organization's work remains grounded in locally led, evidence-informed innovation.

Assiatou holds a Bachelor's degree in Exercise and Sport Science from Oregon State University, a Master's degree in Health Promotion Management, and a Graduate Certificate in Public Policy Analysis from American University in Washington, D.C.

Outside of work, she enjoys family time, good food and making space for rest and relaxation, especially well-deserved spa days.