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… +Unfair trading practices in agri-food supply chains: update and outlook for non-EU suppliers
- 03/11/2025
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
Over the past months, COLEAD, through its programmes FFM+ and AGRINFO, has been actively contributing to ensuring fairness in global supply chains, including those in ACP countries, by addressing Unfair Trading Practices (UTPs). This news provides an update on the legislative state of play and on COLEAD’s activities related to this important issue. What are UTPs? The stark imbalances between small and large operators in the agricultural and food supply chain can lead to UTPs in business-to-business relationships where farmers… +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… +Strengthening dialogue for a sustainable agro-industry in West Africa: insights from the Ghana Industrial Summit and Exhibition
- 03/11/2025
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
From 15 to 18 September 2025, COLEAD took part through the FFM+ programme, in the Ghana Industrial Summit and Exhibition (GISE), a major event for industrial transformation in Ghana and across West Africa. The mission aimed to strengthen synergies between public, private and technical partners, while showcasing initiatives implemented through the Fit for Market Plus (FFM+) and AGRINFO programmes. Beyond institutional visibility, this participation marked a key milestone in promoting a sustainable, innovative, and competitive regional agro-industry. The GISE: a… +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… +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… +Strengthening crop protection: the example of Ramsay Agriculture
- 03/11/2025
- Posted by: Sandra Borma
- Category: News
As part of the Fit For Market Plus (FFM+) programme, COLEAD provided technical assistance to Ramsay Agriculture, a small but dynamic farming enterprise based in Mzuzu (Malawi), through the Horticultural Production and Marketing Consortium (HOPMAC). Towards a safer and more sustainable production model The support aimed to help the company put into practice the knowledge acquired during the training course “Developing a Crop Protection Strategy”. Over four intensive days, the COLEAD expert assessed existing pest management practices, trained field staff… +