Evaluating only Niamey Yields’s profile at its peak — without knowing the outcome — the model ranked Distribution as the #1 likely cause. Documented cause: Macro / political.
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FOUNDING
MILESTONE
CRISIS
SHUTDOWN
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Documented cause
Niamey Yields used satellite imagery and SMS-based agronomic advisory services to help smallholder farmers in Niger improve yields. The model was impact-oriented but commercially structured, charging a small per-season fee to farmer cooperatives. Traction was building through 2021, with 6,000 enrolled farmers across three regions. A military coup in July 2021 disrupted operations immediately: the new junta suspended all foreign NGO and private development contracts, categorizing Niamey Yields' cooperative partnerships as unauthorized foreign economic activity. The company's French co-founder was required to leave the country. Without its distribution network, the platform had no path to sustainability.
Lesson
“In fragile states, nationalize your leadership before the government does it for you. Local-led operations survive coups; foreign-led ones become political targets.”