A look back at Gulfood 2025: a world-class exhibition offering a wealth of opportunities, particularly for the still under-represented countries of sub-Saharan Africa
- 06/05/2025
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
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This article is based on observations and meetings made by the COLEAD team in Dubai during the show last February. The mission has been implemented through the Fit For Market Plus programme. A world-class show, but with a still limited African presence Gulfood is the largest food exhibition in the Middle East, attracting more than 5,500 exhibitors from around 130 countries. The last edition took place in Dubai in February 2025. Every year it brings together companies from all over… +Patricia Zoundi Yao, entrepreneur and African champion of sustainable development, is an inspiration to us. What about you?
- 08/04/2025
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
Patricia Zoundi Yao is a social entrepreneur, impact leader, and dedicated advocate for rural Africa. She is committed to fostering sustainable agriculture, a more inclusive economy, and the promotion of local value chains. At the crossroads of agriculture, technology, and social development Patricia Zoundi Yao is not just any entrepreneur. She embodies a new generation of changemakers in Africa, bridging the worlds of agribusiness, inclusive technology, and the empowerment of rural women. She is the founder of Canaan Land, an… +Caribbean Agrifood Business – Spotlight on session #16 of the IICA COLEAD series: cross-border value chains
- 08/04/2025
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
A strategic collaboration for Caribbean agriculture Since June 2021, the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and COLEAD have joined forces through the FFM+ programme in the Caribbean Agrifood Business Series. This initiative highlights the innovations and successes of farmer-led agribusinesses and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Caribbean region. The series is driven by a common vision: to build a more sustainable, resilient and inclusive Caribbean agricultural sector. It promotes business models that are economically viable, environmentally… +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… +Research Trial Demonstration Day at GART
- 16/01/2025
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
On January 10, 2025, the Golden Valley Agricultural Research Trust (GART) hosted a highly successful trial demonstration day at its research farm in Chisamba, Zambia. The event presented the content and progress of the ongoing COLEAD research trials implemented by GART, which focus on exploring the potential benefits of integrating undervalorized crops (here Cleome and Amaranthus), into the well-established tomato and cabbage production systems. Under the Fit For Market Plus Programme, field trials are set-up in commercial production environments to… +In memory of Guilhem Picker: a visionary for sustainable agricultural development
- 04/12/2024
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
In memory of Guilhem Picker: a visionary for sustainable agricultural development It was with deep sadness that we learned in November of the death of Guilhem Picker, an emblematic figure and visionary in the development of Cameroon’s agri-food sector. For more than forty years, he left his mark on the country’s agricultural landscape, inspiring generations with his commitment, expertise and entrepreneurial spirit. A builder of agricultural sectors Arriving in Cameroon in 1977, Guilhem Picker first distinguished himself as a… +Dr Evelyn Maureen Acquaye inspires us and you?
- 04/12/2024
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
Dr Evelyn Maureen Acquaye inspires us and you? A visionary leader linking youth and sustainability in Ghana’s agri-food sector In the vibrant heart of Ghana’s Central Region lies a source of hope and sustainability: Benyima Farms. Under the dynamic leadership of Dr Evelyn Maureen Acquaye, this woman-owned business is transforming the agricultural landscape by combining innovation, sustainability and empowerment. An anesthetist turned agribusiness entrepreneur, Dr Acquaye embodies resilience and visionary thinking. In 2013, she founded Benyima Farms, a 240-acre… +Promoting sustainable agriculture and empowering communities in Togo with Cajou Espoir
- 04/12/2024
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
Promoting sustainable agriculture and empowering communities in Togo with Cajou Espoir EDFI Management Company and COLEAD support Cajou Espoir’s innovative beekeeping project In a notable advance for sustainable agriculture in Togo, EDFI Management Company (EDFI MC) has partnered with COLEAD to support beekeeping capacity of one of its investee companies Cajou Espoir, a Togolese company active organic cashew production. This collaboration, supported by technical expertise from COLEAD and co-financed by the EDFI MC AgrifFI initiative, exemplifies a shared commitment… +Strengthening cooperative governance: Zimbabwe’s Rusitu Valley leads the way
- 04/12/2024
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
Strengthening cooperative governance: Zimbabwe’s Rusitu Valley leads the way The Rusitu Valley Fruit Growers and Marketing Trust (RVFGMT), a cooperative of 1,400 growers in Chimanimani, Zimbabwe, is undergoing a transformative journey to strengthen its governance and sustainability. With targeted support from the Fit For Market Plus (FFM+) programme, RVFGMT is addressing critical governance challenges to better serve its members and position itself as a beacon of sustainable development in the region. RVFGMT aggregates and markets the produce of its… +Kulla Farms in Nigeria improves soil sustainability through nutrient management plans
- 04/12/2024
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
Kulla Farms in Nigeria improves soil sustainability through nutrient management plans At the heart of sustainable agricultural development is the recognition that soil health underpins the resilience and productivity of farming systems. Kulla Farms Limited, a pioneering greenhouse farming operation in Obafemi Owode Local Government, Abeokuta, Nigeria, demonstrates this principle through its recent collaboration with COLEAD through the FFM+ programme to develop a tailored Nutrient Management Plan (NMP). Established in 2023 but rooted in a family legacy of horticultural… +