As the Africa Union continues to celebrate 2014 Year of Agriculture and Food Security: Celebrating 10 years of CAADP, the Africa Union Commission’s Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture (AUC-DREA), led by Commissioner H.E. Tumusiime Rhoda Peace, is developing an Agribusiness and Gender Program. Inclusiveness and mutual accountability are key dimensions of the CAADP 2015-2025 framework which is a component of the AUC Strategic Plan 2014/17, developed under the leadership of Chairperson of the AU Commission H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.
The AUC-DREA Agribusiness and Gender Program in collaboration with the Office of AUC Chairperson, asks for your assistance in ensuring broad based linkages with African women in agribusiness, in all dimensions of the agri-based value-chain — be it farm production, storage equipment manufacturing, technology (ICTs), food processing — shelling, drying, manufacturing, logistics, self-help groups/farmer associations, rural savings and credit cooperative organizations, energy generation, trading — with neighboring countries, inter-regionally or off-continent, leasing, farming input franchising, commodity exchanges, agricultural commodity warehouse management, seeds, tractor services,irrigation equipment sales, science and innovation. We especially ask for assistance in identifying women in business of agriculture and related industries, i.e. agribusiness women who are entrepreneurs or already with business operations. On an on-going basis, I welcome your sending names and contact details of African women in agribusiness in Africa. When your engagement is combined with the persons you direct to AUC-DREA’s Agribusiness and Gender Program, together we will move forward on transforming Africa to be the resilient, economic engine for current and future generations in Africa and beyond.
URGENT/PRIORITY NEED [if at all possible, please send today or tomorrow…because of need for visa application process.]
We are urgently asking for nominations of African Women in Agribusiness for a fully funded* Entrepreneurship Training Program offered by the government of Israel. The program is offered to a total of 100 women — 25 women, for 4 sessions — over the August 2014 through December 2015 period.
The initial program [25 August – 17 September, 2014] will be offered in French. We urgently ask for nominations from French speaking Africa, especially the following countries (in alphabetical order):
1. Burkina Faso
2. Burundi
3. Central African Republic
4. Chad
5. Democratic Republic of the Congo
6. Mali
7. Mauritania
8. Niger
9. Rwanda
10. Senegal
*Air travel (economy class), Tuition, Accommodation, Meals for the 3-week training.
In addition to the topics listed in the TRAINING PROGRAMME description below, a detailed description of the programme IN FRENCH, is attached.
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TRAINING PROGRAMME – Description
The training will last for three weeks and will be held at two training centers in Israel –the Golda Meir Mount Carmel International Training Centre and CINADCO – Training Center for International Agricultural Development Cooperation. The training will focus on the following practical training areas:
I. Entrepreneurial Training – Business Laboratories – How to start, scale up and manage small and medium green business enterprises
II. Marketing strategies for small and medium businesses in rural areas
III. Women in business networking
IV. Support systems in Israel and best practices in promoting innovative entrepreneurship
V. Diagnostic tools for supply and value-chain analysis of agri-industries
VI. Agriculture and rural development
VII. New trends in modern agriculture (technological advancements, nutritional concerns, soil/water/energy management)
VIII. Planning and implementation of gender sensitive agricultural projects
IX. Women’s entrepreneurship in agriculture
X. Branding and marketing agricultural produce
XI. Best practices in developing learning national systems
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