Awlachew Sintie Objectives Strategic Objectives: The Institute's seven Strategic Objectives directly respond to its Mandate as follows: 1. To Enhance ALLPI Capacity to Share Best Practices and Strengthen Value Chain Networks; The implementation of this Objective would enhance ALLPI’s capacity to deliver high quality services effectively, efficiently and competitively by developing and implementing training programmes, which respond to the needs of the industry. 2. To Enhance Value Addition Through Clusters/Service Centres Development; Clusters should be used as a nucleus of developing value addition process, as growth of SMEs in the production of finished leather products. This would spur the growth in demand of finished leather, thus creating a ready market of finished leather in the region. 3. To Facilitate and Promote the Strengthening of the Regional Leather Value Chain; This would strengthen intra trade and enhance the performance of the regional leather value chain in line with the COMESA vision of regional integration. In addition, this would have a multiplier effect to other sectors such as transport, clearing & forwarding, banking and insurance in the region. 4. To Build a Comprehensive Production and Trade Database for the Leather Sector; Generation, collection and collation of reliable information for enabling decision making and baseline on production, trade and enterprises performance & competitiveness is fundamental in the development of value chains. 5. To Build Member States’ "Share, Adapt and Adopt (SAA)" Institutional Capacity to Deliver Support Services and Policies; COMESA/LLPI would work to strengthen national institutions, such as Leather Development Councils and Associations in efforts to support areas of fundraising, project design and implementation, in a sustainable manner. This process should be designed on the Share, Adapt and Adopt Model. 6. To Facilitate the Development and Implementation of Occupational Health and Environmental Management Standards in The Leather Industry; The Leather Industry is considered an environment and health risk industry. Thus, ALLPI would work in collaboration with national institutions and the Private Sector to come up with factory facilities, which meet minimum environmental and occupational standards. 7. To Facilitate Leather Development and Investment and Resource Mobilization. The core budget of LLPI is based on membership subscription, which adequately covers its overheads and limited development activities. However, given its wider Mandate to transform the Region's leather value chains, there is a need to complement resources through collaboration and fundraising. 8. To promote Export of value-added leather products; Leather products generally earn premium prices in the lucrative global markets. In Africa, SMEs that account for a large portion of enterprises in the leather sector. However, they had limited or no access to international export markets. It also goes without saying that going international requires skills and resources in order to capture knowledge on finance, logistics, customs or pricing. Thus, promoting export will help a lot to assist SMES in market access and to increase profitability from export operations. 9. To enhance inclusiveness (includes participation of women, youth, and physically challenged) in the leather sector. Role of women in leather and leather business Mindset transformation in leather related businesses Leather as a viable profession Characteristics of women and youth friendly Leather related opportunities - Value addition in Leather supply chains Factors for consideration in selecting a value chain for Leather business