The Africa Leather and Leather Products Institute (ALLPI) in collaboration with Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MIC) at Bulawayo conducted a seven-day Training Workshop with the Title “Production of Fashion Oriented Footwear: The Regional Designers Studio Intervention” at Bulawayo Cluster Workshop in Zimbabwe. The Training was held from 23rd – 29th April 2018.
The leather used to make this shoe was produced by ALLPI and Zambian SMEs Cluster during the vegetable tanning training of artisans and SMEs at co-operative college using one of ALLPI’s designed curricula for short courses. The objective of the training was to provide skills development to artisans at cottage and SME level to facilitate the transfer of technology in aspects of rural tanning based techniques. The raw material used to produce the leather was sourced locally while the processing of the leather was carried manually in a rural set up using plastic containers as tanning vessels.
During the last day of the AALF (June 10, 2018), the Esteemed Principal Secretary, Mrs. Betty C. Maina, Ministry of industry, Trade and cooperatives- Kenya visited the Fair and held brief meeting with ALLPI at the Fair ground. The discussion centred on leather sector development activities in Kenya and areas of focus for ALLPI assistance. Key activities areas pointed out were:
The Africa Leather and Leather Products Institute (ALLPI), in its leather development agenda in Africa, Co-sponsored the 10th Edition of All Africa Leather Fair (AALF) which was held during 8th -10th June 2018.
Prof. Mwinyikione Mwinyihija, Executive Director of ALLPI, in his opening remarks of the Fair emphasized that Africa is endowed with the supply and demand potential of the leather sector; and hence, we all should partner to create economic growth, gender and youth empowerment, employment and wealth creation, and poverty alleviation. He also underscored that Africa should bench mark those countries, Vietnam, Brazil, and India, who tapped the leather sector potential to an optimal level.
Africa Leather and Leather Products Institute, in collaboration with the Zambian Ministry of Commerce, Industry and co-operative held Artisanal/MSMEs training program in Vegetable tanning at Artisanal/MSMEs level and thus change the situation where over the years and until now the Artisans have been tanning hides and skins in over two to three weeks a scenario which was covered in 8 – 9 days.
Sudan is consider as one of biggest among the African countries in livestock population; thus, Africa Leather and Leather Products Institute (ALLPI) has a number of activities in Sudan among these activities but not limited to are :
Africa Leather and Leather Products Institute’s (ALLPI) Expert Team, composed of Prof. Mekonnen Hailemariam, Institutional Capacity Development and Consultancy Expert and Mrs Birikinesh Gonfa, Investment, Trade and Marketing Expert, was on mission to Malawi from April 23 to 29, 2018. The main objectives of the mission were to develop a Business Plan for the leather Satellite Design Studio through participatory workshop and also to discuss with the Ministry of industry, Trade and Tourism officials on areas of collaboration as part of the implementation of phase II of the “Malawi Enterprise Productivity Enhancement (MEPE)” project under the COMESA RISM financial support.
The exercise took place from 10th – 13th April 2018 and conducted by two international tannery waste water (effluent) treatment and disposal expert contracted by ALLPI. They were accompanied by Harrison Mungai who is ALLPI’s Tannery expert.
Six (6) tanneries 2 in Masaka, 3 in Jinja and 1 in Busia were visited and the following observations/suggestions were made for each tannery as listed hereunder:
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Africa Leather and Leather Products Institute (ALLPI)
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Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.