Strengthening plant biosecurity: example of a successful pilot internal audit mission with the NPPO in Zimbabwe
- 08/04/2025
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
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As part of the FFM+ programme, a successful pilot internal audit mission was conducted with the National Plant Protection Organisation (NPPO) of Zimbabwe. This initiative represents a significant step forward in strengthening plant biosecurity and facilitating trade in the country. Over the course of three days, the team combined field visits to citrus production and processing facilities (two days) with analysis and reporting at NPPO border offices (one day). The goal: to establish an efficient and sustainable internal audit system… +Cooperation agreement signed between COLEAD and ACTESA/COMESA: A new strategic partnership for regional agriculture in Eastern and Southern Africa
- 08/04/2025
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
COLEAD has recently signed, through the FFM+ programme, a Memorandum of Understanding with the Alliance for Commodity Trade in Eastern and Southern Africa (ACTESA), a specialised agency of COMESA. This partnership aims to strengthen cooperation to support smallholder producers, improve market access and promote sustainable agricultural practices in 21 COMESA member states and 7 East African Community (EAC) countries. This collaboration is based on a shared vision of agricultural development as a driver for a more resilient, equitable and prosperous… +Ethiopia: MAHEBER* (Mobilizing Actors in Horticulture for Entrepreneurship and Boosting Ethiopian Resilience), a new programme entrusted to COLEAD by the European Union – a strategic initiative fully aligned with the Global Gateway priorities
- 08/04/2025
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
(*MAHEBER in Amharic means association, union, group gathered for a common purpose) COLEAD has been selected by the European Union Delegation to Ethiopia to lead an ambitious five-year programme to strengthen the competitiveness, resilience, inclusiveness and sustainability of the country’s horticulture value chains. Entitled ‘Enhancing the Competitiveness of Ethiopia’s Horticulture Sector’, this initiative is fully aligned with the Global Gateway priorities and contributes to the objectives of the EU Action Plan for the Development of Sustainable Agri-Food Systems in Ethiopia… +Empowering women entrepreneurs: successful launch of the South-South online series. On 19 February 2025, COLEAD and UN Women launched their initiative dedicated to empowering women entrepreneurs in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP)
- 06/03/2025
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
On 19 February 2025, COLEAD and UN Women launched the first session of the South-South Online Series, an initiative dedicated to empowering women entrepreneurs in Africa, the Caribbean, the Pacific (ACP) and beyond. Designed to foster collaboration, knowledge sharing, skills development and market access, the series provides a dynamic platform for business leaders to connect and progress. This series is created and organised as part of the Fit For Market Plus programme. A promising start: strong participation and significant impact… +Jeanette Marcelle inspires us—And you?
- 06/03/2025
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
Handmade by Jeanette transforms Trinidad and Tobago’s culinary traditions into sustainable opportunities. In Trinidad and Tobago’s agri-food landscape, Jeanette Marcelle, also known as Chef Marcelle, stands out as a visionary and dedicated entrepreneur. As the founder and CEO of Handmade by Jeanette, she embodies resilience, innovation, and social impact through her brand, which promotes healthy, sustainable, and locally rooted food products. From culinary passion to purpose-driven entrepreneurship Jeanette Marcelle’s journey is anything but conventional. Initially pursuing a career in early… +Khalifa Thiam inspires us and you?
- 06/03/2025
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
Founder of JOULEU in Senegal, a producer and distributor with a strong social impact on young people. In the world of African agribusiness, some players are pioneers in combining innovation, sustainability and social commitment. Khalifa Thiam, founder of JOULEU, embodies this ambition. Through his company, he is working towards a more resilient, inclusive and connected agriculture, responding to the challenges of market access, sustainable production and modernisation of the horticulture sector in Senegal and the sub-region. JOULEU: A link between… +EU food packaging regulations: the new rules impose new requirements that also apply to suppliers outside the European Union
- 06/03/2025
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
New rules on packaging and packaging waste, including design and waste management, are set by the European Union (EU) under the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) (Regulation 2025/40). The objective is to increase the reuse and recycling of all packaging materials, including food packaging. The new rules also apply to suppliers of packaged food to the EU market who are based outside the EU. Under the PPWR rules, all packaging and packaging waste made of any material have to… +Sustainability – Waste management. Example in Benin using pineapple waste to improve soil fertility and promote energy self-sufficiency
- 06/03/2025
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
The VLIR-UOS-funded VALPIRES project was officially launched in Benin by the partner universities, marking a major step forward in sustainable agriculture and renewable energy solutions. This research project aims to use pineapple residues to improve soil fertility while promoting energy self-sufficiency, thus responding to major agricultural and environmental challenges in the region. COLEAD played a key role in bringing together the partner universities – KU Leuven, the University of Abomey-Calavi (UAC) and UNSTIM – to develop the project proposal. By… +Sustainability – Energy efficiency. Example in Kenya with the energy assessment of the Everest packaging plants in Timau and Murang’a
- 06/03/2025
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
In the last quarter of 2024, COLEAD supported Everest Enterprises Limited in conducting an energy efficiency audit as part of the NExT Kenya Programme. Everest Enterprises, a leading Kenyan horticultural company established in 1988, specializes in growing and processing horticultural products. This initiative aimed to analyze energy consumption patterns, identify cost drivers, and propose strategies to enhance energy efficiency at Everest’s processing facilities in Murang’a and Timau. The assessment contributes to the company’s broader sustainability goals, including the adoption of… +Raising climate change awareness among coffee and cocoa cooperatives: highlight of the COLEAD-SIF project, which ended in February 2025
- 06/03/2025
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
Since its launch in February 2024, the partnership between COLEAD and the Shared Interest Foundation (SIF) has been dedicated to strengthening eight selected cooperatives/companies in Côte d’Ivoire (three), Rwanda (four) and Uganda (one). This initiative concluded in February 2025, marked by a significant initiative – an interactive e-session on climate change awareness, conducted in both English and French. Raising awareness on climate change The two-day virtual session provided an engaging platform for participating companies/cooperatives to explore the intersection of climate… +