Ethiopia: more partnerships for more impact

Ethiopia: more partnerships for more impact

COLEAD’s recent mission to Ethiopia under FFM+ made significant progress in addressing key challenges and opportunities in the Ethiopian horticulture sector. With a focus on improving sustainability, business linkages and regulatory compliance, the mission was an important step in preparing the ground for additional support from 2025 onwards.

Priority areas identified

During the mission, COLEAD identified several priority areas that will shape its future interventions in Ethiopia. These include :

• Capacity building for private sector actors, particularly micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and farmer groups. COLEAD will be continuing to develop and implement training and coaching to help these groups meet both regulatory and market requirements, ensuring sustainability across economic, social and environmental dimensions.
• Improving business skills and tools. COLEAD aims to equip local businesses with the knowledge and resources they need to optimise their operations, manage change effectively and access finance, thereby increasing their resilience and growth potential.
• Sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) issues. This is critical for Ethiopia’s fresh produce sector and COLEAD has been actively working with public and private stakeholders to strengthen national SPS systems. The recent application of the Rapid SPS Assessment Tool (R-SAT) in collaboration with the Ethiopian Agricultural Authority (EAA) is an example of this partnership.
• Fair and sustainable business linkages between smallholder farmers, farmer groups and agri-food MSMEs are key to building a resilient horticultural value chain in Ethiopia. COLEAD is actively facilitating the creation of these linkages to enhance the competitiveness of local products both regionally and internationally.
• Supporting Business Membership Organisations (BMOs) to effectively represent the sector and provide advocacy, information and services to their members remains a core component of COLEAD’s strategy under FFM+. Working with groups such as the Ethiopian Horticulture Producers and Exporters Association (EHPEA) is essential to ensure that the voices of the industry are heard both nationally and internationally.

Synergies between programmes

The recent mission also highlighted COLEAD’s existing synergies between on-going programmes and stakeholders in Ethiopia’s agricultural sector (ex : Trademark Africa, Centre for the Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries (CBI),  COMESA-EAC Horticulture Accelerator (CEHA) programme ; Agricultural Transformation Institute (ATI)).  These synergies aim to leverage existing efforts and ensure complementarity with COLEAD’s programmes, including Fit For Market Plus (FFM+), AGRINFO and other upcoming initiatives.

In particular, the AGRINFO programme has been promoted as a key resource for stakeholders requiring up-to-date information on EU policies, regulations and standards affecting agri-food value chains. This programme, funded by the European Union, provides accessible summaries and guidance on how to navigate evolving EU requirements, making it an invaluable tool for Ethiopian businesses looking to expand or maintain access to European markets.

Stay tuned for further updates as COLEAD works hand in hand with EU and Ethiopian partners to promote a thriving, sustainable and inclusive horticulture industry.

This activity is supported by the Fit For Market Plus (FFM+) programme, implemented by COLEAD within the Framework of Development Cooperation between the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) and the European Union; and by the AGRINFO programme, implemented by COLEAD and funded by the European Union (EU). This publication receives financial support from the European Union and the OACPS. The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of COLEAD and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union or the OACPS.