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The BDA Foundation wants to train African entrepreneurs in the methods of industrial cultivation and harvesting of medicinal plants, all within the perspective of sustainable development. The pilot-project of the BDA Foundation has begun in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), but the model will be replicated in many other countries throughout Africa. The BDA project includes three phases over three years at a cost of 3 million dollars.
Each year, 30 new candidates, our future Ecopreneurs, will begin receiving training by local and international experts in the industrial production of African medicinal plants, following the guide to best practices set out by the WHO.

Phase I
Phase I is dedicated to the sustainable promotion, development, and validation of entrepreneurial and scientific competencies as well as the understanding of best practices in the industrial production of African medicinal plants. The goal of the program is to teach these students to grow these plants with respect to international standards of quality control and to give them the necessary tools to launch a successful value-added company capable of exporting product on the international market for primary materials prepared in Africa.
A phytochemistry laboratory, constructed and financed by Jesuites from the Central Province of Africa, allows the students to work with up-to-date technologies. BDA and its partners: Wyeth, Terre sans Frontières, Algorithme Pharma, University of Montreal and Roncalli International Foundation, have generously provided the high-tech equipment that will be installed in the laboratory. Another important shipment is planned shortly. The realization of Phase I is also made possible thanks to the financial support of Lundin For Africa.

Phase II
Phase II of the project is dedicated to practical field training for the 30 students who have already passed their theory course. Here they will learn techniques of cultivation, harvesting and proper treatment of the harvested medicinal plants for export. The training of Phase II will take place in the Luki Man of the Biosphere Reserve which is managed by BDA’s local partner World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The students will be able to work in an environment that mixes different ecosystems such as equatorial forest, fallow, and savanna.
Generous funding from the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and Lundin For Africa will support the second year of the program and allow for the establishment and the construction of a plant treatment centre that will be used to teach the students treatment techniques using high technology equipment. The arrival of this conditioning centre will also bring facilities such as potable water, electricity and the Internet to the Luki Reserve.

Phase III
Once they have finished their theoretical and practical training, the students will return to their regions and communities of origin to start their businesses. Phase III will see the creation of funds for micro-credit which will provide the graduates with the capital they need to launch their own agri-business. Plant treatment centers will be built across the DRC, which will also bring modern facilities such as potable water, electricity and the Internet to these remote African communities.
BDA and its partners – the Association for African Medicinal Plants Standards (AAMPS), the International Trade Centre, and Lundin For Africa – will establish a mentoring program and will shepherd the new entrepreneurs into the world markets for medicinal plants. At the conclusion of Phase 3, we will see benefits begin to accrue to entire African villages through new employment and modern facilities like potable water, electricity, and Internet access that will flow from this new industry.