KILIMO TRUST: regional solutions to local problems Page 1
4TH
COURSE OF KILIMO BIASHARA TRAINING PROGRAM FROM 25th
to 29th
July 2916:
“Tapping into Regional Markets of Food Staples”
Kilimo Trust under its Kilimo Biashara
Training Programme (KBTP) conducted its
4th
course,“Tapping into Regional Markets of Food Staples”, from 25
th
to 29th
July 2016 at
Kilimo Trust Head Office.The course was
sponsored by East Africa Trade Investment
Hub. The five (5) day course covered the
following:
a) Understanding markets for food
commodities or food products
b) Identifying and assessing opportunities in
regional food markets
c) The market requirements for trading of
food commodities in the EAC
d) Risks and mitigation measures in regional
trade of food commodities.
18 participants from various regions of
Uganda and operating in various value chains
(of food staples) and nodes (processors,
Producers and traders) completed the course
successfully. Farmer support institutions such
as Centenary Bank and The Uganda Grain
Council were also represented. Among the
participants were, 10 inspiring business
women engaged in production and trade
attended the training. The course
methodologies were formal presentations and
group/individual work. During the group
work discussions and exercises, participants
excitedly shared experience and applied the
lessons learnt. After the topic session on
business networking, the participants seized
the opportunity to network among each other
and to discuss with Centenary Bank
Agricultural loans manager (who was a
participant)
about
agricultural
financing
opportunitie
s.
At the end of
the course,
the
participants
identified the
following as their “take home goodies” from
the course:
1) National and regional regulatory
requirements for trading and
exporting
2) Profiling buyers/ customers
3) Pitching for a business deal
4) There is a bigger market in EAC
5) Obstacles to trade
6) Cross border trade standards and
quality of different products
7) Documentation of business
engagements
The course was closed by the guest of
honour, Mrs Ronah Sserwadda Ssali, the
Acting Director for trade integration at the
Ministry of East African Community Affairs.
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The
participants’
representative,
Dr Gudula
Basaza, in her
closing speech
informed the
guest of honor
about the
achievements
from the course, lessons learnt and
experience acquired. She also thanked
Kilimo Trust especially the trainers for
making this training successful and EAC
Trade Investment Hub for investing in their
training. She appreciated trainers and course
organizers by offering them gifts produced by
the participating companies. Dr. Basaza also
said that the participants have pledged to be
the “lights in the darkness” and will
disseminat
e the
knowledge
acquired
among
their
colleagues
and
partners.
They sang a song as a sign of their
commitment to disseminating the knowledge.
A Whatsapp group was created in order to
keep in touch and keep sharing knowledge
regarding regional trade. She urged the guest
of honor to
support such
training
through
Kilimo trust
and other
platforms.
The guest of
honor, Mrs. Ronah Sserwadda, thanked the
participants and Kilimo Trust for the
achievement. She mentioned many trade
protocols and conventions such as
COMESA, and the EAC that Ugandan
should take advantage of. She promised to
lobby so that the trainings and information
dissemination can be facilitated by
government. She invited the trainees to visit
the information center at the Ministry of East
Arican Community Affairs so that they can
get more information regarding intra and
extra regional trade.
Mrs. Sserwadda closed the training by
handing certificates to participants present.
BTP is a virtual program that utilises
knowledge gained from practical
implementation of regional programmes and
projects implemented by Kilimo Trust to
develop training manuals and courses for
value chains development. KBTP is managed
and run by Kilimo Trust in collaboration
with other development partners and offers
evidence based solutions to challenges facing
regional trade in the East African Community
region. The objective of KBTP is to impart
practical solutions to the many challenges
slowing down regional trade on food staples
in the EAC. KBTP believes that these
solutions originate from real experiences of
different actors in the region.
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Appendix 5 Pictorial
Picture 1: Group Photo
Picture 2: Opening Remarks by Dr Birungi Korutaro Picture 3: KBTP Trainer – Rachel Ajambo
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Picture 4: KBTP Trainer – Anthony Mugambi Picture 5: Group work
Picture 6: Group work Picture 7: Group work
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Pic 9: Participants handing gifts to trainers Pic 10:Mrs. Sserwadda handing certificates