The Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF), a non-profit organization with headquarters in Nairobi, supported early and growth-stage businesses in the agribusiness and renewable energy and adaptation to climate change sectors, with an increasing focus on gender, youth, and employment. The AECF implemented a private sector-led initiative: the Investing in Women of South Sudan (IIW-SS) program in the Republic of South Sudan. This five-year program aimed to enhance women's economic empowerment in the agricultural sector in South Sudan.

MSA led a market study to identify two states and five value chains where the IIW-SS should be targeted to foster women’s engagement and growth in agriculture. The study informed the selection of states and value chains for the IIW-SS project.