During an Event organized on 16^th November 2023 in the ALLPI Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, all ALLPI Staff Members and guests welcomed the new Executive Director, Mr. Nicholas Mudungwe, who joined ALLPI recently. Mr. Mudungwe worked at the COMESA Secretariat and later was moved to ALLPI where he served as a Programs Coordinator. Thereafter, he joined the International Trade Center (ITC) where he has been working before taking up this new appointment with ALLPI.

The Board chairman Mr. Abdul Hakim Sekandi (Uganda) and Dr. Milkesa Jagema, ALLPI Board of Directors Member (Ethiopia), graced the welcoming event.

Mr. Ghebregziabher Ghebremedhin who has led ALLPI in the duo capacity of Acting Executive Director and Programs Coordinator for the past 11 months following the retirement of Prof. Mwinyihinja Mwinyikione made the opening remarks by welcoming the distinguished ALLPI Board Members, the new Executive Director and all ALLPI Staff Members. He called upon the ALLPI Board Member for Ethiopia, Dr. Milkesa Jagema to give his welcome remarks, followed by the Chairman of the Board of ALLPI Mr.Abdul Hakim Sekandi who officially welcomed and inaugurated Mr. Nicholas Mundungwe in his position as the new Executive Director for ALLPI.

Honorable Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano MBS, Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry of Kenya received Africa Leather & Leather Products Institute (ALLPI) delegates led by Mr. Ghebregziabher Ghebremedhin, Acting Executive Director, Programs Coordinator at her office on the 6^th of November 2023.

The purpose of the visit by ALLPI to Kenya was to propose and get guidance from the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry about the cohosting of the 16^th Annual Regional Consultative Forum in Mombasa, Kenya.  

After self-introduction, the honorable Cabinet Secretary opened the meeting by warmly welcoming the ALLPI delegates and invited the head of the delegates for submission about the purpose of the ALLPI’s visit.  The Acting ED started his briefings by thanking the honorable Cabinet Secretary for receiving the ALLPI delegates despite her busy schedules.  He then briefed the honorable Cabinet Secretary, the Principal Secretary and other officials of the ministry   what ALLPI is and does, what is the Annual Regional Consultative Forum and the proposal to cohost the 16^th Annual Regional Consultative Forum in Mombasa, Kenya.

Africa Lather and leather products Institute (ALLPI) participated in the 37th International Union of Leather Technologists and Chemists Societies (IULTCS) Congress that was held from October 17th to 20th , 2023, in Chengdu, China, known as the 'Land of Abundance”.

The IULTCS Congress is renowned in the global leather community as the 'Technological Olympics.' The theme of this year's congress is 'Innovations to Make Leather Irreplaceable,' and it has been elaborated deciphered by over 150 leather technologists around the world.

The conference was organized by the China Leather Industry Association (CLIA) and hosted by the college of Biomass Science and Engineering in Sichuan University This marked the second time that China had hosted the event since in 1949 (the previous occasion being in Beijing in 2009).

The delegation led by  Mr. MR.BINIAIM BERHE, CHARGÉ D’AFFAIRES  of the  Embassy of Eritrea in Ethiopia and Permanent Mission to AU & UNECA, visited the ALLPI Headquarters in Addis Ababa on 6^th September 2023. Mr. Biniam was accompanied by Mr. Zeresenai head of Administrative Issues in the Embassy and Mr. Mohammed (Bilateral relations).

The delegates were welcomed by Mr. Ghebregziabher Ghebremedhin, Acting Executive Director and Programs Coordinator of ALLPI together with the ALLPI team of Experts.

The objective of the visit was to understand the operations of ALLPI to the region in general and to Eritrea in particular.

Brief presentation was made by Mrs. Birkinesh Gonfa, Investment Trade and Marketing Expert of ALLPI focusing on major activities performed by ALLPI for the State of Eritrea. The following activities were conducted for Eritrea:

• National Leather Value Chain Strategy Development;
• Research and Development;
• Participation in the Consultative fora and experience sharing dialog meetings;
• Curriculum Development;
• Capacity Building activities at various levels of the leather value chain segments;
• Machinery support;
• Market linkages and B2B networking activities, and

Africa Leather and Leather Products institute (ALLPI) with the Government of Rwanda Ministry of Trade and Industry (MiNICOM) conducted a one day workshop on “Enhancing market access and local sourcing for Leather Enterprises” to selected Leather players from Kigali on 10^th August 2023 at Masaka Vocational Training Institute, Kigali.

The overall objective of the program is to give information regarding the supplier of input and main institutional buyers along the leather value chain to in hence the marketing activities of Leather players domestically as well as globally. The Training is the continuation of the training on TOT Leather Footwear & Goods Design Craftsmanship & Expert Readiness held on April, 2022.

7^th – 10^th of August 2023 an Africa Leather and Leather Products Institute delegation Conducted a 5-day field mission to Rwanda. The mission was organized as part of the collaboration of ALLPI and Rwanda leather stakeholders.

The delegation visited MINICOM, Rwanda TVET Board, leather enterprises in the value chain and the newly established Kigali Leather Cluster.

The delegation was well received by the honorable Permanent Secretary for industrial development Mr. Richard. The PS and the delegates discussed about the collaborations between Rwanda and ALLPI in the transformation of the leather sector. The PS also updated the delegates about the status of the leather park in the process of establishment.  Currently local manufacturers are depending on imported finished leather. This shows that currently the main bottleneck to the leather sector in Rwanda is a problem on the supply side other than the demand side. Taking into consideration this constraint the Rwanda government has launched to establish a Tanery Park in Bugasera District. This project is expected to have a big impact in the process of transformation of the leather sector of Rwanda. The PS applauded ALLPI’s intervention in the leather sector in Rwanda and requested ALLPI to continue its support to the leather sector in Rwanda. The Acting Executive Director in his turn reiterated that ALLPI’s commitment to work with MINICOM and Rwanda stakeholders in the transformation process of the leather sector in Rwanda.