This project focuses on increasing exports from Kenya, the United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia. Enterprises working in the honey, mango and spice sectors are set to expand and become more competitive through this project.
The objectives of the project are to increase the export competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in selected agri-food value chains and to enhance the services delivered to SMEs by trade support institutions. The three-year project launched in December 2013 is implemented by the International Trade Centre together with lead organizations in each country: the Export Promotion Council in Kenya, Small Industries Development Organization (SIDO) in the United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia Development Agency in Zambia. It is funded by the Government of Finland.
In Kenya, project activities are geared towards increasing trade by empowering county-based entrepreneurs in their role as market intermediaries between farm gate and exporters. Target sectors are dried chilli and processed mango, even though the new practices can be applied similarly to other products.
Technical assistance in the United Republic of Tanzania covers all three target sectors of the project, namely the honey, mango and spice sectors. The activities in this country account for almost half of the project activities.
In Zambia, the project focuses on improving the marketing side of the honey value chain. The medium-term objective is to enable Zambian honey to gain a firm foothold in export markets. This project complements current work done by the Enhanced Integrated Framework (EIF) Tier II project on improving supply conditions for honey.