• Kenyan firm KickStart enters Senegal’s irrigation market with low-cost pumps
• Partnership with Nafiyo Solutions aims to support small farmers
• Only 9% of farm households used irrigation in 2022/23, official data show

Kenyan irrigation equipment maker KickStart has launched operations in Senegal, the Ministry of Agriculture said in a statement on Tuesday, September 9.

For its first move into the West African country, KickStart teamed up with local partner Nafiyo Solutions. The company designs and markets innovative manual pumps tailored to small producers and family farming.

“This partnership marks an important step in delivering practical and affordable solutions to support Senegalese farmers in their pursuit of performance and sustainability,” the ministry said.

The initiative comes at a time when irrigation remains limited. According to the Directorate of Agricultural Analysis, Forecasting and Statistics (Dapsa), only 9% of farm households practiced irrigation during the 2022/23 season.

Affordable access to irrigation equipment could help shift that trend. In April, Senegal and five other Sahel countries committed under the new Dakar Declaration on Irrigation to expand water control and agricultural infrastructure by 2035. The plan aims to boost irrigation use across the region.

For KickStart, the launch is an opportunity to tap into a growing market for agricultural equipment in Senegal and expand its footprint in Africa. Founded in 1991, the company operates in 17 countries, including four in West Africa.