Boosting intra-African trade with Vert Ltd: FFM+ in action at AASW8 side event

On Tuesday 6 June, 4:30-6:30 PM UTC+2, Jane Maina will present her business during a side event on Boosting intra-Africa trade: the agricultural midstream in the value chain organised by FARA, IFAD and the COLEAD at the 8^th African Agribusiness and Science Week (AASW8).

The session will be held online and on-site in Durban, South Africa. Online participants have to register using this link.

Live interpretation in English and French will be available.

Find the concept note here and biodata here.

About Jane Maina & Vert Ltd:

Since 2006, Jane Maina has been the Managing Director of Vert Ltd, a Kenyan based family business that specialises in the export of fresh and processed produce. The company sells fine vegetables and dried mango for the European market and mango puree for the domestic and regional market. Vert Ltd sources 100% of its fresh produce from small scale farmers across Kenya, who are aggregated into community based organisations. It is compliant with various international standards such as GLOBALG.A.P., organic, SMETA, Fairtrade and ISO22000. A social enterprise, Vert Ltd is steered by Jane’s efforts to consciously engage female smallholder farmers. It envisions to be Kenya’s leading horticultural exporter with international brand recognition, supplying fresh horticultural produce to an extensive and diverse customer base.

Vert Ltd is a member of COLEAD and has been working with COLEAD’s PIP, Fit for Market and NExT Kenya programmes. Jane’s participation to the AASW event is covered through COLEAD’s Fit For Market Plus (FFM+) programme which aims to maintain and improve the capacity of smallholders, farmer groups and horticultural MSMEs to access domestic, regional and international markets through the progressive sustainable intensification of the horticultural sector, while adapting to changes in their operating environment due to Covid-19 and climate change.

To learn more about this innovative business, watch this interview with Jane Maina, part of the COLEAD’s NExT Kenya programme.

Link to video

This activity is supported by the Fit For Market Plus programme, implemented by COLEAD within the framework of Development cooperation between the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), and the European Union (EU).

This activity will be supported with the financial support of the EU and the OACPS. Its contents are the sole responsibility of COLEAD and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the EU or the OACPS.