United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) Launches Training & Mentoring Initiative for Kenyan Coffee Companies – CoffeeTalk

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) has initiated the Executive Programme in Coffee Innovation and Business, engaging 25 Kenyan coffee companies in an intensive training and mentoring initiative aimed at enhancing innovation, climate resilience, and value addition in Kenya’s coffee sector. Concluding its first module on July 9 at the Coffee Research Institute (CRI) in Ruiru, this program seeks to address the significant challenges faced by the coffee industry, which is vital to the livelihoods of approximately six million Kenyans but suffers from fragmented production, price volatility, stringent sustainability demands, and the adverse effects of climate change.

Part of the ACT Coffee Programme, established to promote climate-resilience and transformation across Africa’s coffee sector, the program seeks to unify public institutions, development agencies, and the private sector for a cohesive structural transformation of the coffee value chain. Operating in countries like Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, and Malawi, ACT Coffee aims to reinforce climate resilience, foster sustainable industrial growth, and enhance local value creation to uplift the living conditions of smallholder farmers and rural communities.

The Executive Programme represents a key investment in human capital and combines over 236 hours of learning, including classroom instructions, online education, and individual mentoring, over a period of eight to ten weeks. Participants engage in three modules focused on coffee production, branding, market development, and individual business project preparation, allowing them to immediately implement their learning within their own farms and businesses.

Key figures in the training include Emmanuel Kimeu from the Coffee Research Institute and Gianluca Malvicini from illycaffè, who both contribute practical sessions to enhance participants’ skills. UNIDO Program Manager Andrea De Marco emphasized the program’s goal to leverage human capital for sustainable transformations in the coffee value chain, while E4Impact Foundation President Letizia Moratti acknowledged the project as a model for collaboration among various sectors to boost sustainability.

Academic institutions will assist participants in converting research findings into viable business models, with endorsements from leaders at both the Fondazione Ernesto Illy ETS and Lavazza Foundation, highlighting the critical nature of skill development for fostering a fair and sustainable coffee value chain. The long-term potential of the program, as pointed out by Kenyan partners, includes fostering stronger public-private collaborations, enhancing productivity, and strengthening the global competitiveness of Kenya’s coffee sector.

As the participants develop tailored business projects and innovation strategies, the Executive Programme aims to bolster Kenya’s coffee value chain, increase local value addition, and create avenues for sustainable growth. Through the ACT Coffee Programme, UNIDO is committed to fostering a more competitive and inclusive coffee sector that benefits producers, businesses, and rural communities across East Africa.

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