Today, the German government’s programme for private sector involvement in emerging markets, develoPPP.de, brought its projects for developing coffee and honey business in Ethiopia to a successful close.
Initiated by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH implemented the measures for fostering coffee and honey production together with the German companies Original Food and Tuchel & Sohn in the Kafa and Sheka regions of southwestern Ethiopia.
The projects came to a close after three years. Through develoPPP.de, Germany provides companies investing in emerging countries with professional support. In Kafa and Sheka, develoPPP.de helped strengthen and expand wild coffee processing, manufacture and exports, and developed honey exports, while promoting sustainable forest management in the zones, together with the German businesses.
In three years, the number of smallholders organised in cooperatives increased. 7,500 producers are involved in sales of certified wild coffee, over 8,500 produce honey in export quality for the first time in Ethiopia. Exports of certified wild coffee also increased, with 350 tons of specialty coffee currently being produced. The project has contributed to the sustainable management of 57,164 hectares of forestland in the Afromontane forests of southwestern Ethiopia.
Speaking at the closing event in Addis Ababa, Hanspeter Schwär, Economic Counselor of the Embassy of the Federal Republic Of Germany, said, “Development cooperation not only has the potential to support individuals, but also to grow markets. Together, actors can introduce and support the concept of sustainability for business models and for the balance between man and nature, visible in Kafa and Sheka.”
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-Qeh-rFbOQ[/embedyt]
Matthias Rompel, Country Director of GIZ Ethiopia, added, “Cooperation with the private sector is of great importance to GIZ and sustainable development on the whole. Economic growth is a fundamental requirement for the development of a country. These projects show how Germany supports successful models for business and also ensures that all parts in the value chain benefit.”
On behalf of the German government, GIZ implements various programmes in line with the Ethiopian Government’s objectives, focusing on rural development and food security, on vocational education and training, conservation of biodiversity and job creation.