COMESA/LLPI Quarterly Newsletter

Dr. Mwinyikione Mwinyihija, Executive Director of COMESA/LLPI, graduated from the Swiss Management Center University in Malta with doctorate in management (D.Mngt.), on October 2, 2014, in the presence of H.E. Dr. Joseph Muscat, the Prime Minister of Malta graced the graduation ceremony. Dr. Mwinyihija’s Doctoral work entitled “Conceptualization of Opportunity Management towards Value Addition Strategy for the Leather Sector in Kenya will have a wider application in the region for promoting value addition, productivity, competitiveness and trade integration. Dr Mwinihija has already published 8 articles from his doctoral work on peer reviewed reputable journals.

COMESA-Leather and Leather Products Institute (COMESA/LLPI) and the Sudan University of Science and Technology (Department of Leather Engineering and Technological Leather Industry Incubator) have formalized their collaborative activities in leather sector development through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 25 September 2014.

The COMESA-Leather and Leather Products Institute’s organized and fully sponsored consultative workshop for the Burundi Leather Sector Strategy formulation was held at Martha Hotel, Bujumbura, from August 21^st to 22^nd 2014.

The formulated Strategy will serve as a road map to design and implement programmes and projects for the development and modernization of the Burundi leather sector so that it contributes to the country’s poverty reduction and job & wealth creation efforts. The workshop that was organized in collaboration with the Minstere du Commercede l’Industrie, des Posts et du Tourisme was preceded by COMESA/LLPI Experts’ Visits and meetings with the value chain actors and concerned stakeholders.

The Ministry of Trade and Industry has endorsed the National Leather Value Chain Strategy on September 13 2014. It was devised in cooperation with the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa - Leather and Leather Products Institute (COMESA/LLPI) and the Eritrean Leather and Allied Industries Association.

A Workshop on the formulation of a Strategy for Ethio-International Footwear Cluster Cooperative Society Ltd (EIFCCOS) that was organized and fully sponsored by COMESA/LLPI, took place at the Ethiopian Management Institute, Addis Ababa, from July 10-11, 2014. The formulated Strategy would be used as a tool of transforming EIFCCOS into a first-class Cluster with a broader Regional and International orientation.

The Government of Zimbabwe has stepped up measures to curtail the exportation of raw hides by introducing a US$0,75 export tax on every kilogramme of raw hide in a move that is expected to boost value addition in the leather industry. During the past 10 years, the leather sector has been failing to absorb all raw hides and skins that are produced leading to more hides being exported from Zimbabwe in their raw form. In 2011 alone, a total of 5 440 tonnes of raw hide including crocodile skins worth US$28 million were exported. Read More