Scaling readiness, a key-step to scale impact

Promising innovations often demonstrate their value early on, yet too many never move beyond the pilot phase. As funding becomes more constrained and expectations for measurable impact increase, the real challenge is no longer inventing solutions but ensuring they reach the people who need them most.

Many innovations stall in the so called “valley of death”, unable to secure the resources, partnerships and legitimacy required to scale. This is particularly the case in Africa’s poorest regions where financial returns are harder to achieve and development budgets are being cut.

To help address this gap, the Enabel Innovation Hub has joined forces with CGIAR, combining operational experience with a systematic, evidence based scaling approach . This collaboration materialised in testing and refining CGIAR’s Scaling Readiness approach in real development contexts with two EU-funded innovations.  CGIAR, formerly Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, is the world’s largest public global agricultural innovation network, producing science for development in an accountable and transparent way.

While financial support alone is insufficient to bring innovations to scale, the Innovation Hub has long seen how access to capacity development and strong networks can make a decisive difference. This article highlights what the two projects have already learned through the process and how CGIAR’s methodology helped (re)shape their scaling strategies.

ABALOBI MONITOR : Turning fisheries data into scalable impact

When small-scale fishers and beach management units lack reliable data, they lose far more than numbers: they lose bargaining power, access to finance and a voice in the policies shaping their livelihoods. ABALOBI MONITOR was developed to answer this challenge.

Codesigned with small-scale fishers, the mobile and web-based platform enables real-time collection and analysis of fisheries data, bringing together community based monitors, civil society organisations and government agencies around a shared, standardised and user-friendly format.

ABALOBI’s ambition is to scale across the Western Indian Ocean region and eventually globally, an ambition that requires more than a strong technical solution.

Through the EU-funded Digital and Green Innovation (DGI) Action , the Enabel Innovation Hub supports ABALOBI MONITOR’s expansion to Tanzania, in partnership with HIVA-KU Leuven, adaptation and calibrating to new institutional and stakeholder realities.

The Innovation Packaging and Scaling Readiness (IPSR) workshop, the central step in CGIAR’s Scaling Readiness approach, marked a turning point. Working alongside future implementers in Tanzania, the ABALOBI team identified key scaling bottlenecks, prioritised collectively-shared next steps and translated insights into concrete decisions.

The process also shaped the evolution of the platform, with new features added to better respond to the needs of Tanzanian stakeholders. CGIAR partner WorldFish who took part in the IPSR workshop also plays a key role in aligning and standardising fisheries data, strengthening the platform’s credibility for policy use.

“Scaling workshops can sometimes be very high level, but this one wasn’t fluffy at all. We walked away with tangible activities and clear decisions.”

The scaling support helped ABALOBI move from stakeholders mapping and advocating to a clear, partner driven pathway to scale, firmly grounded in real-world implementation.

Tap & Track : Scaling data-driven solutions for reliable rural water supply

Keeping rural drinking water systems operational is not only a technical challenge but also an organisational and financial one. Across Africa and Asia, many systems still rely on community based management models that struggle to prevent breakdowns, water losses and financial shortfalls. Tap & Track was developed to address this gap by equipping water service providers with a digital, data driven tool that enables more professional and informed decision-making. Through a mobile app and web dashboard, Tap & Track helps reduce water wastage, strengthen infrastructure resilience and improve the long-term sustainability of rural drinking water services.

As with many digital solutions, scaling Tap & Track requires more than technical performance. Through the EU-funded DGI Action, the Enabel Innovation Hub supports the scaling of the tool in Uganda, through a partnership with Stichting Practica and GOAL Uganda. Efforts are focusing on adapting the tool for three Water Area Service Providers and strengthening local ownership through the training of around 50 caretakers and end-users.

The IPSR workshop provided space to address the nontechnical questions that often determine whether scaling is viable, including ownership of the app and responsibility for future maintenance costs. The process helped surface risks early and bring stakeholders around the table.

As a result, Tap & Track is now moving forward along a clearer scaling pathway. Several water facilities are participating in pilot trials, engagement with Uganda’s Ministry of Water and Environment is being strengthened, and work is underway to integrate the tool into government training programmes.

Promotion through Uganda Water Week in March and the National Operation and Maitenance (O&M) Forum in April further supports Stichting Practica’s long-term ambition de see Tap & Track adopted by 30 service providers across seven countries within the next five to eight years.

 “The workshop helped us identify knowledge gaps and bring stakeholders together.”

For Tap & Track, the scaling support helped shift the conversation from whether the tool works to who will own, sustain and champion it at scale. An essential step towards lasting public service improvements!

To find out more about CGIAR’s Scaling Readiness approach and explore the Masterclass, visit the CGIAR Scaling Readiness website and discover how structured scaling support can help your innovation move beyond the pilot stage and maximise its impact.