Following the invitation from the Makerere University Business School, COMESA/LLPI participated in the 11th Annual Entrepreneurship Conference held in Kampala from November 10 to 14, 2014. This Conference, organized by Makerere University Business School in partnership with Syracuse University-USA, ILO, and Laval University-Canada, brought together academicians, policy makers, researchers, practitioners from East Africa, South Africa, West Africa, Central and Southern Africa, UK and Canada. The Conference, with the theme “Promoting Employment through Small and Medium Enterprises”, encompassed the following Events.
- Symposium for Entrepreneurship Educators at Esella Country Hotel from 9-10 November, 2014,
- Social Entrepreneurship Workshop at Grand Imperial Hotel on Nov. 11, 2014,
- Main Conference held at Imperial Royal Hotel from 12-13 Nov., 2014,
- A showcase of SMEs products in the Main Conference Hall, and
- A gala dinner to welcome participants at Grand Imperial Hotel on Nov. 11, 2014
Prof. Mekonnen Hailemariam, representing COMESA/LLPI, participated in the Conference and presented a paper entitled “A Quantitative Analysis Determining the Performance of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Leather Footwear Production in Selected Common Market for Eastern and Southern African (COMESA) Countries.
Papers presented in the Conference, and discussions that followed, were very interesting and informative. The Forum also gave ample space for unstructured interaction between participants, including networking and ideas exchange.
During the main Conference Opening Event, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cooperation between MUBS and COMESA/LLPI was also signed. MUBS Principal, Prof. Waswa Balunywa and COMESA/LLPI’s Leather Value Chain Expert, Prof. Mekonnen Hailemariam signed the Agreement. The MoU will enable linkages and collaborative activities between the two Institutions that will promote and sustain the value adding activities along the leather value chain in the COMESA Region, with focus on SMEs.