KILIMO TRUST: regional solutions to local problems Page 1

4TH

COURSE OF KILIMO BIASHARA TRAINING PROGRAM FROM 25th

to 29th

July 2916:

“Tapping into Regional Markets of Food Staples”

Kilimo Trust under its Kilimo Biashara

Training Programme (KBTP) conducted its

4th

course,“Tapping into Regional Markets of Food Staples”, from 25

th

to 29th

July 2016 at

Kilimo Trust Head Office.The course was

sponsored by East Africa Trade Investment

Hub. The five (5) day course covered the

following:

a) Understanding markets for food

commodities or food products

b) Identifying and assessing opportunities in

regional food markets

c) The market requirements for trading of

food commodities in the EAC

d) Risks and mitigation measures in regional

trade of food commodities.

18 participants from various regions of

Uganda and operating in various value chains

(of food staples) and nodes (processors,

Producers and traders) completed the course

successfully. Farmer support institutions such

as Centenary Bank and The Uganda Grain

Council were also represented. Among the

participants were, 10 inspiring business

women engaged in production and trade

attended the training. The course

methodologies were formal presentations and

group/individual work. During the group

work discussions and exercises, participants

excitedly shared experience and applied the

lessons learnt. After the topic session on

business networking, the participants seized

the opportunity to network among each other

and to discuss with Centenary Bank

Agricultural loans manager (who was a

participant)

about

agricultural

financing

opportunitie

s.

At the end of

the course,

the

participants

identified the

following as their “take home goodies” from

the course:

1) National and regional regulatory

requirements for trading and

exporting

2) Profiling buyers/ customers

3) Pitching for a business deal

4) There is a bigger market in EAC

5) Obstacles to trade

6) Cross border trade standards and

quality of different products

7) Documentation of business

engagements

The course was closed by the guest of

honour, Mrs Ronah Sserwadda Ssali, the

Acting Director for trade integration at the

Ministry of East African Community Affairs.

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The

participants’

representative,

Dr Gudula

Basaza, in her

closing speech

informed the

guest of honor

about the

achievements

from the course, lessons learnt and

experience acquired. She also thanked

Kilimo Trust especially the trainers for

making this training successful and EAC

Trade Investment Hub for investing in their

training. She appreciated trainers and course

organizers by offering them gifts produced by

the participating companies. Dr. Basaza also

said that the participants have pledged to be

the “lights in the darkness” and will

disseminat

e the

knowledge

acquired

among

their

colleagues

and

partners.

They sang a song as a sign of their

commitment to disseminating the knowledge.

A Whatsapp group was created in order to

keep in touch and keep sharing knowledge

regarding regional trade. She urged the guest

of honor to

support such

training

through

Kilimo trust

and other

platforms.

The guest of

honor, Mrs. Ronah Sserwadda, thanked the

participants and Kilimo Trust for the

achievement. She mentioned many trade

protocols and conventions such as

COMESA, and the EAC that Ugandan

should take advantage of. She promised to

lobby so that the trainings and information

dissemination can be facilitated by

government. She invited the trainees to visit

the information center at the Ministry of East

Arican Community Affairs so that they can

get more information regarding intra and

extra regional trade.

Mrs. Sserwadda closed the training by

handing certificates to participants present.

BTP is a virtual program that utilises

knowledge gained from practical

implementation of regional programmes and

projects implemented by Kilimo Trust to

develop training manuals and courses for

value chains development. KBTP is managed

and run by Kilimo Trust in collaboration

with other development partners and offers

evidence based solutions to challenges facing

regional trade in the East African Community

region. The objective of KBTP is to impart

practical solutions to the many challenges

slowing down regional trade on food staples

in the EAC. KBTP believes that these

solutions originate from real experiences of

different actors in the region.

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Appendix 5 Pictorial

Picture 1: Group Photo

Picture 2: Opening Remarks by Dr Birungi Korutaro Picture 3: KBTP Trainer – Rachel Ajambo

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Picture 4: KBTP Trainer – Anthony Mugambi Picture 5: Group work

Picture 6: Group work Picture 7: Group work

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Pic 9: Participants handing gifts to trainers Pic 10:Mrs. Sserwadda handing certificates