Jovia Kisaakye (Uganda) : Turning waste into value for farmers and communities
- 04/05/2026
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
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Jovia Kisaakye is the Founder and CEO of Ecobed Biotech, a Ugandan biotechnology enterprise transforming agricultural and food waste into practical, market-driven solutions. Her work focuses on addressing everyday challenges faced by farmers while creating new value from under-utilised resources. At Ecobed Biotech, spoilt milk is converted into a powerful and effective organic mosquito repellent skincare lotion and creams that offer 12-hour long protection against mosquito bites. In parallel, the company transforms everyday food waste into organic fertilizers and animal… +Gordon Shallow (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines): from science to entrepreneurship, cultivating sustainable solutions for caribbean agriculture
- 04/05/2026
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
Gordon Shallow is a phytopathologist and entrepreneur from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, whose work combines scientific expertise with practical solutions to strengthen food security and sustainable agriculture. With over fifteen years in plant health and soil science, his career reflects both dedication and innovation in addressing real challenges faced by farmers. Gordon’s interest in agriculture began in secondary school through Agricultural Science, where he was recognised by the Caribbean Examinations Council for his outstanding application of crop and animal… +Strategic partnership with RUFORUM (175 universities, 40 countries) to support entrepreneurship in Africa
- 04/05/2026
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
COLEAD and the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on 21 April 2026, marking a new step in their collaboration. This five-year partnership aims to support innovation, entrepreneurship and skills development in Africa’s agrifood sector. RUFORUM, which brings together 175 universities across 40 African countries, works to strengthen capacities in agricultural innovation and agribusiness. This collaboration seeks to better connect research, skills development, entrepreneurship support and market-oriented initiatives. The MoU provides… +Sustainable Production for Resilient and Inclusive New Generations: official launch of the SPRING programme in the Gambia
- 04/05/2026
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
The SPRING programme was officially launched on Tuesday 14 April at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Center (SDKJ-ICC) in The Gambia. Funded by the European Union, the programme aims to strengthen the contribution of The Gambia’s horticulture sector to economic growth, food security, food safety and nutrition. It is built on a resilient, inclusive, market-oriented and people-centred agroecological transition, with particular attention to women, youth and marginalised groups. More specifically, SPRING aims to: Increase investment, productivity, incomes and… +Côte d’Ivoire – PASA Programme: strengthening food safety and the competitiveness of horticulture and artisanal fisheries value chains
- 04/05/2026
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
The European Union Delegation in Côte d’Ivoire has entrusted COLEAD with the implementation of the Food Safety Support Programme (PASA Côte d’Ivoire). With a duration of four years, the programme aims to strengthen the contribution of the agri-food sector to economic growth, food security, and sustainable development by improving the competitiveness, resilience, inclusiveness, and sustainability of value chains. The programme primarily targets the horticulture and artisanal fisheries sectors, with support focused on strengthening stakeholders’ capacities in sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS)… +Dominican Republic: strengthening the sanitary framework to support agri-food safety and trade
- 04/05/2026
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
As part of the Sanidad e Innovación Agropecuaria (SIA) project, funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) for the benefit of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Dominican Republic, COLEAD has supported the development of a comprehensive set of legislative and strategic documents aimed at modernising the country’s sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) system. This work includes a new sanitary law, its implementing regulations, and a national SPS policy. Together, these instruments are designed to establish a legal and institutional framework… +Ethiopia: a key milestone reached with the completion of the horticultural sector bottleneck study under the MAHEBER programme
- 04/05/2026
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
The MAHEBER programme has reached a major milestone in its ambition to transform Ethiopia’s horticultural sector with the completion of a comprehensive study identifying the structural constraints limiting its development. Launched in September 2025, the study provides an in-depth analysis of Ethiopia’s horticultural value chain. It adopts a systemic approach, covering the entire ecosystem — from production to market access — to better understand the dynamics shaping the sector’s performance. The analysis examines the policy and regulatory environment, the roles… +Engaging with CSAF investors: understanding fruit and vegetable value chains through the example of avocado in East Africa
- 04/05/2026
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
On 26 March 2026, COLEAD organised, under the FFM+ programme, a 1.5-hour technical webinar in collaboration with the Council on Smallholder Agricultural Finance (CSAF), the leading network of impact investors financing agri-SMEs. Entitled “demystifying fruit & vegetable value chains for impact investors”, the session used the avocado value chain in East Africa to provide a concrete illustration of sector realities. The objective was to explain the specific risks associated with fruit and vegetable value chains, translate technical challenges into investment-relevant… +Debrief session on the bottlenecks study for Malawi’s horticultural sector: three interdependent action areas identified
- 04/05/2026
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
On 23 April, a debrief session was held as part of the PRCC programme (Programme de renforcement des capacités commerciales), implemented by COLEAD and funded by the French Development Agency (AFD). The session brought together 29 stakeholders from both public and private sector organisations. The objective of the meeting was to present and discuss the findings of the bottlenecks study conducted for Malawi’s horticultural sector. Developed through a participatory approach, the study aimed to identify and prioritise the main constraints… +Senegal – mango sector: a training cycle to strengthen phytosanitary surveillance ahead of the 2026 campaign
- 04/05/2026
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
As part of the STDF/PG/946 project, COLEAD, in collaboration with the Plant Protection Directorate (DPV) and the Senegal Mango Interprofessional Association (IPMS), is rolling out in April 2026 a cycle of three training sessions focused on the surveillance of mango pests, with particular emphasis on fruit flies. These trainings are co-funded by the PRCC programme – phase 2, illustrating the complementarity of COLEAD’s interventions. Fruit flies represent a major phytosanitary risk for exports to the European Union. Insufficient surveillance can… +