On March 9-12, 2026, the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) SALCA team conducted a supervision mission at the Horn Economic and Social Policy Institute (HESPI). The visiting delegation included Dr. Linda Etale (Acting SALCA Program Lead and Agriculture Program Coordinator), Mr. Edem Messa-Gavo (Senior Measurement Officer), and Mr. Eric Nyakpo (Program Associate).

The mission was carried out within the framework of the SALCA Program, implemented by ACBF in partnership with the Gates Foundation, which aims to strengthen the capacity of African institutions working on climate adaptation in agriculture. As part of this initiative, HESPI is implementing a catalytic project focused on piloting scalable, solar-powered irrigation systems to enhance climate-resilient agriculture and improve livelihoods in vulnerable communities in Ethiopia and Somalia.

The primary objective of the mission was to assess the progress of HESPI’s catalytic project and its Customized Institutional Capacity Improvement Plan (CICIP), while providing technical support to enhance implementation effectiveness. The team reviewed performance against planned targets, engaged with HESPI staff to identify key challenges and opportunities, and provided recommendations to improve program delivery, monitoring, and reporting.

In addition, the mission facilitated the collection of data and insights to inform learning products, including webinars and communication materials. Discussions also focused on sustainability strategies to ensure the long-term impact and scalability of project outcomes beyond the SALCA program period.

Key outputs of the mission included an updated assessment of project progress, identification of implementation gaps and corrective actions, agreed short-term action points, and documentation of success stories and lessons learned. The mission also contributed to evaluating outcome-level indicators and strengthening plans for sustaining results.

Overall, the supervision mission reaffirmed the importance of continued collaboration between ACBF and HESPI in advancing climate-resilient agricultural solutions and institutional capacity development in the region.