Eric Medji, co-founder of Othentiks, local fruit juice producer
- 03/11/2025
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
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After several years working in IT and CRM consulting, Eric Medji decided to embark on a new career path in 2013. Convinced of the economic and cultural potential of African raw materials, he decided to devote himself to the agri-food industry. With the support of his family – Ghislaine and Christian Medji – he founded Othentiks, a Beninese company dedicated to producing natural fruit juices from African soil. His goal is clear: to demonstrate that Africa can not only transform… +Josephine Okot: founder of Victoria Seeds, producer and distributor of high-quality seeds
- 03/11/2025
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
Born in northern Uganda, Josephine Okot grew up witnessing the heavy burden women carried in agriculture and the barriers they faced : limited access to education, credit, and markets. These experiences inspired her to dedicate her life to transforming the country’s agricultural sector. In 2004, she founded Victoria Seeds Limited with the ambition to provide smallholder farmers with quality seeds. After being denied loans by commercial banks, she secured financing through a USAID-backed loan guarantee. What began with five employees… +Insights from the EDFI and CSAF conferences: uniting finance and technical assistance to tackle global challenges
- 03/11/2025
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
In a world marked by geopolitical upheavals, persistent economic instability, and growing pressure to finance sustainable solutions, the question of access to finance for agricultural enterprises has taken on renewed importance. The discussions held on the 2 October during the EDFI (European Development Finance Institutions) Management Company Corporate Day 2025 and on the 1-2 October at the Council on Smallholder Agricultural Finance (CSAF) Convening highlighted a shared conviction: development finance can only be effective when built upon a solid foundation… +Boosting agrifood research and innovation cooperation for impact at scale – Conference report
- 03/11/2025
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
Please find the report of the conference “Boosting agrifood research and innovation cooperation for impact at scale” which took place in Brussels (11-13 March 2025) financed by the European Commission under the DeSIRA initiative. To effectively contribute to desirable agrifood systems transformation in this time of poly-crisis, investments in R&I are more than ever required and need to be done in partnership. The R&I orientation for food systems transformation was discussed with a focus on innovative approaches such as agroecology,… +Digital technology serving agricultural training: COLEAD’s participation in MoodleMoot Nigeria
- 03/11/2025
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
Held in Abuja, MoodleMoot Nigeria brought together the African Moodle community — educators, researchers, developers, EdTech actors, and institutions — to share best practices and strengthen the quality of online education and training across the continent. The conference focused on how digital technologies and innovation in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) can transform learning, foster inclusion, and build more resilient education systems. Moodlemoot Nigeria serves as a platform for collaboration and knowledge exchange, aiming to: promote inclusive access to quality… +Learning integrated pest management: the example of the Dominican Republic
- 03/11/2025
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
This training session, held in Baní (Dominican Republic), focused on “Developing a crop protection strategy centred on the mango and banana sectors.” Organised with the support of the Fit For Market Plus (FFM+) programme, the initiative aimed to strengthen local capacities in integrated pest management (IPM) and promote sustainable, competitive agricultural practices. A participatory and inclusive training The session brought together a wide range of stakeholders from the agricultural sector, including production managers, technical supervisors, exporters, agronomists, plant health and… +Supporting partner countries in achieving compliance with EU organic standards: the case of Zimbabwe
- 03/11/2025
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
As part of the FFM+ programme, COLEAD recently supported the Rusitu Valley Fruit Growers and Marketing Trust (RVGMT) and the Pineapple Growers Agricultural Cooperative Society Limited (PGACSL) in aligning their Quality Management System (QMS) and Internal Control System (ICS) with the new EU Organic Regulation (EU 2018/848). This revision of the European framework introduces stricter requirements for group certification, traceability, and transparency, which are essential for maintaining access to EU organic markets. The assignment involved close collaboration with the RVGMT… +Focus Caribbean – strengthening agricultural value chains and regional synergies
- 03/11/2025
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
From 23 September to 8 October 2025, a dedicated mission took COLEAD to Saint Kitts and Nevis, Barbados, and Guyana under the Fit for Market Plus (FFM+) and AGRINFO programmes. The objective: to support the empowerment of Caribbean agricultural stakeholders while strengthening coordination with regional institutions and development partners. This field mission also marked COLEAD’s first physical presence at the Caribbean Week of Agriculture (CWA), following several virtual participations since 2021. Caribbean week of agriculture 2025: a strategic participation Organised… +Flashback 2014 – Tapping into local and regional markets
- 03/11/2025
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
Source : Horizons magazine, October 2014 (…) COLEACP helps farmers improve the quality of products for the local market. As the standard of living rises in the ACP states, short supply chains now offer real opportunities for economic development. Local and regional markets are developing into important outlets for the agrifood sector in Africa and the Caribbean. They represent an attractive alternative to export. In many African countries, selling goods at a stall or a local grocery is no longer… +Strengthening local agri-food value chains and women’s entrepreneurship: the example of Casamance, Senegal
- 03/11/2025
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
Processing units play a central role in creating added value, ensuring product quality, and enhancing the competitiveness of horticultural value chains. Moreover, strengthening the technical and organisational capacities of small enterprises and cooperatives is a key condition for scaling up the regional agri-food sector and recognising the economic role of women within value chains. In Casamance, training sessions organised through the Fit For Market Plus (FFM+) programme have brought together production and processing managers with a clear objective: to improve… +