STUDY TOUR CUM TRAINING IN FOOD PROCESSING

4 – 25 June 1998

Twenty eight participants from 17 countries (Kenya, Zambia, Tanzania, Mozambique, South Africa, Mali, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Uganda, Nigeria, Cameroon, Guinea, Burundi, Ethiopia, Benin, Togo, Ghana) traveled to India and Sri Lanka from 4 to 25 June 1998 for a study tour.

The study tour focused on the food processing sector in which a large percentage of women in Africa are engaged. Through this programme, ECA and UNDP seek to facilitate the establishment of learning partnerships and provide opportunities to African women to share technologies with their Asian sisters.

During the first week, entrepreneurs learnt entrepreneurial principles, products and processes, general manufacturing practices and had hands-on technical training in bakery, fruit processing, confectionery/chocolates, and dairy products.

En route to Sri Lanka, participants stopped over at Chenai to visit the Indian Institute of Packaging. Sri Lanka was a different experience: participants visited the Export Production Villages with their very original concept which has made export possible from rural areas to the international market; they also visited some technical and developmental institutes.

This study tour provided participating NGOs and technological institutes with opportunities to exchange and share know-how with sister organizations in India and Sri Lanka.

On 12 June, during a round table with Government and Development Agencies, the Government of the State of Karnataka committed itself to: sponsor show cases on technologies under $10,000.00 in Africa; award scholarships to selected African Women Entrepreneurs to undergo short-term courses in some training institutes of their choice; and give a 30% reduction on all equipment ordered by African Women Entrepreneurs.

An instructional video has been produced and will be used as back up to disseminate food processing technologies among women’s groups at the grass-roots level in the 17 participating countries.

Entrepreneurs expressed their gratitude to UNDP and ECA for making this study tour possible and hoped the organizers would do the same for other sectors. The following is a sample of the participant’s comments :

"The training Programme has opened my eyes to many things and cleared many problems which were hindering my food processing project". "In my dairy project, I now have the know-how to check the quality of the milk. Cheese making is another new thing I have learned. I can now make yogurt as well as milk shakes in different flavours". "The bakery, fruit, vegetable and dehydration processes are all available to me now". "With all the simple machinery exposure, I am ready to go and share the knowledge in confidence with the women entrepreneurs back at home in a number of sectors". "The contacts available to me now will be easily explained to those who need it. Back home, I will be in a position to share with other entrepreneurs what technology is available in India". "I will share the experience of how persistent the Indian women entrepreneurs are no matter how tough it looked at the beginning".