High University Officials from Africa Leather and Leather Products Institute (ALLPI) Academia Platform participating Universities visited Ege University, Turkey from August 25-30, 2019. The purpose of the visit was sharing of knowledge/experience, benchmarking and signing of MoU for close collaboration with Ege University in the areas of mutual interest. The delegation included vice chancellors, Directors, Dean, Department heads and senior academicians from six universities, namely Bahirdar University-EiTEX-Ethiopia, Dedan Kimathi University of Science and Technology-Kenya, Sudan Technological University-Sudan, Kymbogo University-Uganda, Makerere University Business School-Uganda and Copperstone University of Zambia.  ALLPI in close collaboration with Prof. Bari Basaran Dean, Graduate School of Natural and Applied Science of Ege University facilitated and coordinated the visit program. Prof. Mekonnen Hailemariam, Advisor to the Executive Director, ALLPI, led the visiting delegation.

The Expert from ALLPI with the consultant from Member States went to Mauritius to give training on Basic Leather Goods and Footwear making technology from 19th to 23rd August 2019.

The main objective of the mission was to enhance the skills of SME’s in producing Leather goods and footwear in the newly established satellite Leather studio in the compound of SME Mauritius Ltd Handicraft Training Academy & Business Development and Facilitation.

A five-day Leather Craft Training Programme aiming to enable participants acquire knowledge and skills to develop leather products kicked off, yesterday at the Business Facilitation and Development Centre of SME Mauritius Ltd, in Coromandel. The training programme is being conducted by the experts from the Africa Leather and Leather Products Institute (ALLPI), in collaboration with the Association of Leather and Leather Related Products of Mauritius.

Kyambogo University in collaboration with Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives Uganda, and Africa Leather and Leather Products Institute (ALLPI) organized the first Academic and Practical Skills Inter-university conference and Exhibition for Leather and Leather Products from 7th to 9th August 2019, in Kampala Uganda.

The Kingdom of Eswatini is currently benefiting under the COMaid Programe, which is a European Union funded program being executed through the COMESA Secretariat.

A number of activities are being implemented where Africa Leather and Leather Products Institute (ALLPI) has been contracted to offer technical support in the activities under the leather component.

Africa Leather and Leather Products Institute (ALLPI), in collaboration with the Zimbabwe Ministry of Women Affairs, Small and Medium Enterprises Development conducted a ten (10) day training on Vegetable (plant based) tanning at Artisanal/MSMEs at Kadoma in Zimbabwe.

The Africa Leather and Leather Products Institute (ALLPI) facilitated Madagascar Leather Vale Chain Strategy formulation and validation workshops.The event was held at the Training Center, Antananarivo, Madagascar on July 1-2, 2019 and July 8, 2019.

Africa Leather and Leather Product Institute (ALLPI) is used to make different interventional activities informed by the results of needs assessment in Member and non-member states to create productive and competitive African Leather sector in the Global Arena.

In line with this, a need assessment activity was conducted in Bahirdar Amhara region, Ethiopia by ALLPI experts Mr. Nasir Talab (Cluster Development expert) and Mrs. Birkinesh Gonfa (Investment, Trade and marketing Expert) as per ALLPI’s yearly plan activity for Ethiopia.

Through the initiative of Africa Leather and Leather Products Institute (ALLPI), the IULTCS Congress is to be held in October 2021 in Africa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The 3rd Meeting of the Ministerial Committee on Industry ( CS/IPPSD/IND/PL/III) held in June 2019 held at Kenya School of Monitory Studies,  Nairobi Kenya, from June 20-21, 2019, discussed on ALLPI report and decided ALLPI to become a knowledge and innovation based institution to support SMEs and to enhance their competitiveness.