Tuesday 3 March, 2026
The GSMA Innovation Fund for Climate Resilience and Adaptation (launched in 2022) was designed to help accelerate the testing, adoption and scalability of digital innovations that enable the world’s most vulnerable populations to adapt, anticipate and absorb the negative impacts of climate change. 12 successful start-ups from 10 countries were selected for our first round of the Fund. This case study shares lessons and outcomes from the project with Dayaxa Frankincense – a start-up based in Somaliland, and supported by the GSMA Innovation Fund for Climate Resilience and Adaptation.
Dayaxa Frankincense collaborates with farmers (including women harvesters) in Somaliland to harvest sustainable produce, attain fair pricing, and enhance the living standards of farming communities. Dayaxa partners with farmers to secure fair prices and improve their quality of life.
In Somaliland’s Sanaag region, frankincense resin harvesters do not set prices, allowing only the traders to take advantage of the supply chain value. Climate change impacts and lack of incentives lead to unsustainable overharvesting to maximise short-term income.
Through their social enterprise initiative, Dayaxa seeks to have a positive impact on the lives of farmers and their families by investing back in these communities. The GSMA Innovation Fund grant was used by Dayaxa to improve earnings for resin farmers using their mobile blockchain app that traces where resin is sourced and then offering good pricing to harvesters. The grant was also used to build a tree health mobile app to enable traceability and ecological monitoring. Dayaxa established a community-based frankincense tree nursery to create opportunities for community forestry and community-based plantations.
Dayaxa Frankincense is one of the startups supported by the GSMA Innovation Fund for Climate Resilience and Adaptation, which was launched in 2022.
This initiative is funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and is supported by the GSMA and its members.
