Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – 7 August 2026: The African Leather and Leather Products Institute (ALLPI) received a delegation from CVM Ethiopia/Marche Region for a courtesy meeting aimed at exploring opportunities for institutional and technical collaboration to support the development of Ethiopia’s leather sector.
The meeting, held at the ALLPI Board Room, provided an opportunity for both institutions to introduce their respective programmes, share priorities, and identify potential areas of cooperation. The visit formed part of CVM’s Ethiopia–Marche Region cooperation programme and focused particularly on strengthening the leather sector ecosystem and supporting leather-sector enterprises in Ethiopia.
The meeting was opened with welcome remarks by Mr. Nicholas Mudungwe, Executive Director of ALLPI, followed by an introduction of the CVM delegation and an overview of ALLPI’s mandate, priorities, and ongoing initiatives.
During the meeting, CVM highlighted its long-standing engagement in Ethiopia, including its humanitarian activities and its broader commitment to “working with the poor.” In addition to these initiatives, CVM presented its interest in expanding its practical interventions in the leather sector through targeted technical and institutional support.
Among the areas highlighted by CVM were support to TVET institutions through the provision of leather machinery and equipment, assistance in sourcing spare parts, and facilitating access to finance for leather SMEs without requiring conventional collateral. These interventions are intended to address some of the practical constraints affecting skills development, production capacity, and access to finance among leather-sector enterprises.
CVM also highlighted collaboration with key leather-sector institutions and stakeholders, including the Ethiopian Leather Industries Association (ELIA), through support to the All Africa Leather Fair (AALF), strengthening leather clusters, and collaboration with Bahir Dar University. These areas were presented as potential avenues for creating a more coordinated ecosystem for leather-sector development and enterprise growth.
Discussions then focused on practical partnership opportunities in technical skills development, innovation, leather value-chain strengthening, SME development, and market competitiveness. These areas are closely aligned with ALLPI’s efforts to strengthen the capacity and competitiveness of leather-sector enterprises and facilitate greater access to markets and business opportunities.
The engagement also builds on ongoing discussions between ALLPI and CVM to explore collaboration in support of leather SMEs in Ethiopia and to identify complementary interventions that can contribute to the development of the country's leather value chain.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the participants discussed potential next steps, including the identification of focal persons and follow-up actions to further develop the areas of common interest.
ALLPI appreciates CVM’s interest in strengthening cooperation and looks forward to continued engagement to identify practical and sustainable initiatives that can contribute to skills development, innovation, SME growth, value-chain development, and improved competitiveness of Ethiopia’s leather sector.
