As part of the its mandate to promote the regional and national leather sector development, Africa Leather and Leather Products Institute (ALLPI) in collaboration the Kenya Leather Development Council (KLDC) conducted a one-day workshop on “Enhancing market access and local sourcing for micro enterprises” on 3rd July 2023 at TPCSI, Thika, Kenya. The workshop was part of the BADEA Technical Assistance on the leather industry which has been implemented for the six countries namely Burundi, Eritrea, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zambia.
The objective of the training was to enhance local sourcing of leather and leather products by facilitating the sourcing of local inputs and components.
The workshop was attended by SMEs, KLDC staff members, representatives from Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), and Nairobi County Government Representatives.
During the workshop the following presentations were made:
- How to Approach Potential Buyers in the case of leather and leather products (Mrs. Birkinesh Gonfa, Investment Trade and Marketing Expert, ALLPI)
- Input & Output Linkages in the Leather Sector in Kenya (Mr. Awlachew Sintie, IT and M&E Expert, ALLPI)
- Required Standards in the Leather and Leather Products (Mr. Elisha Kogo, KEBS)
After the presentations, intense discussions on challenges and opportunities of leather-based SMEs in Kenya.
Finally, it was suggested that to address the challenges, SMEs need to come together in the form of cluster, cooperatives, or sector association which will be easier to access financial, technical and other supports from the Government and non-government organizations.
