making markets matter - market matters inc...facilitators and guest speakers came from six countries...
TRANSCRIPT
Making Markets Matter – Training with a Difference Somerset West, South Africa ~ May 18-23, 2014
With inquiries please contact: Krisztina Tihanyi ([email protected])
For photos of the MMM 14 program, please click here.
The 2014 MMM program participants and facilitators
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The fourteenth Making Markets Matter (MMM) agribusiness education program was held at the Lord Charles
Hotel in Somerset West, South Africa, on May 18- 23, 2014. The goal of this annual program is to increase the
capacity of African agribusinesses to meet the ever-increasing demands of today’s global food system. Including
this year’s program, the MMM series has trained nearly 800 participants from agribusiness firms, business
development services, nongovernmental organizations, government departments, and donor agencies. After
thirteen consecutive annual programs, Making Markets Matter is recognized as a premium business development
services (BDS) training program for emerging entrepreneurs in Southern and East Africa.
The aim of the MMM program is to expose African agribusinesses to the latest thinking in marketing strategy,
strategic planning, financial analysis, human resource management, business negotiation, and other relevant
ideas to enhance their competitiveness and promote better business opportunities. World-class facilitators with
extensive experience and knowledge provided participants with practical tools and strategies to increase firm
profitability, expand employment, and thus also increase incomes in their communities.
The program offers the following benefits to participants:
Stimulating seminars presented by world-class facilitators.
A participatory approach involving actual market development case studies.
Access to and interactions with representatives from business development services institutions and
emerging businesses in Sub-Saharan Africa.
A chance to improve strategic marketing skills.
A set of contemporary marketing and finance training materials.
Opening the classroom sessions with interactive drumming by the Drum Café.
The 2014 program hosted 76 participants from 10 African countries. Forty-two (42%) of these participants were
women. A wide range of agribusiness industries from animal husbandry to farming to value-addition were
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represented. Facilitators and guest speakers came from six countries (Botswana, Kenya, South Africa, Sweden,
the USA, and Zimbabwe) and represented 13 different institutions (Table 1).
Table 1: MMM 2014 workshop facilitators and guest speakers (grouped by affiliations)
Last Name First name Affiliation Based in: Are of expertise/role:
Educational Institutions
Chiwona-Karltun Linley Swedish U. of Ag. Sciences Uppsala, SWEDEN Nutritional Science
Christy Ralph Cornell University/MM Inc. Ithaca, NY, USA Strategic thinking
Fulton Juliana Cornell University Ithaca, NY, USA Program coordinator
Jackson Malete Jose University of Botswana Gaborone, BOTSWANA Food Science
Karaan Mohammad Stellenbosch University Stellenbosch, S. AFRICA Supply-chain mgmt
Mabaya Edward Cornell University/MM Inc. Ithaca, NY, USA Marketing
Othata Onkutlwile University of Botswana Gaborone, BOTSWANA Finance
Ndibongo-Traub Lulama Stellenbosch University Stellenbosch, S. AFRICA Agricultural Economics
Roberson Quinetta Villanova University Villanova, PA, USA Human Resources
NGOs/Gov’t
Bandama Maureen MM Inc. Pretoria, S. AFRICA Program Coordinator
Chakeredza Sebastian ANAFE Nairobi, KENYA Animal production
Chimwaza Gracian ITOCA Pretoria, S.AFRICA Information tech.
Coetzee Quinton Small Enterprise Dev. Agency Stellenbosch, S. AFRICA Bus. Development
Gakonyo Njeri AGRA Nairobi, KENYA Development economics
Marechera George African Ag. Technology Found. Nairobi, KENYA Business strategy
Tihanyi Krisztina MM Inc. Ithaca, NY, USA Program Coordinator
Yaye Aissetou ANAFE Nairobi, KENYA Agroforestry
Private Sector
Lehlongwane Moshisi Massmart S.AFRICA Supplier Development
Ondeng Pete East Africa Leadership Inst. Nairobi, KENYA Leadership
The educational program was engaging and interactive. On Monday morning the program opened with
interactive drumming led by the Drum Café, setting the energy level for the week. During the next four days the
daytime sessions focused on four key areas of business training: marketing, strategic planning, financial
management, human resource management, and business leadership. Key concepts were illustrated through the
use of a live case study: Wild Fruits, a Botswana-based company that produces a variety of dried fruit snacks from
indigenous fruits. The production manager from Wild Fruits was on hand throughout the week to provide
information about the company.
Additional presentations included a morning session on running a family business and an introduction to the
recently launched Massmart Supplier Development Program. On Wednesday afternoon, the program featured
parallel breakout sessions on access to finance for South African SMEs, family business in Africa, the role of
information technology for agribusiness education in Africa, and a special session for seed industry participants.
The formal program concluded with a panel discussion entitled “Is Small Still Beautiful? Can SMEs Thrive in the
New Emerging African Economy?” The panel, which was facilitated by Dr. Linley Chiwona-Karltun, and included
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Lulama Ndibongo-Traub (Stellenbosch University), Professor Henry Bwisa and two SME representatives,
culminated in a lively exchange between the panelists and the audience.
World class facilitators and guided small group work – two hallmarks of MMM programs.
In addition to the daytime sessions, the program featured evening programs that provided an ideal atmosphere
for informal networking. On Sunday, the program started with a lively opening reception featuring marimba and
drumming entertainment by the Drum Cafe. On Monday evening participants were treated to a dinner at
Neethlingshof Winery in Stellenbosch. The dinner speaker was Adv. Leslie Sedibe, CEO of Proudly South African,
an organization tasked with promoting South African products and industries. Sedibe shared with participants
features of an effective business leader. On Tuesday evening, the group visited Kleine Zalze Winery, where they
listened to Jacky Goliath, founder and co-owner of DeFynne Nursery, a South African SME growing and marketing
indigenous fynbos plants, fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Ms. Goliath, an MMM program alumna, gave a moving
and inspiring account of her company’s road to success so far and her experience as a woman agribusiness
entrepreneur. She received a standing ovation by participants.
A few years ago the program successfully introduced a Mini Product Expo, providing a platform for participating
agribusinesses to showcase their products. In 2014, 6 companies displayed their products and/or brochures, which
included chocolate, peppadews, and vegetable seeds. The displayed products received an enthusiastic response;
companies with products to sell had a successful day at the Expo!
Scenes from the 2014 MMM Product Expo
The week’s program concluded with the Closing Banquet on Thursday, which was jointly sponsored by the
Department of Agriculture – Western Cape, and the National Agricultural Marketing Council. Invited guests came
the South African agribusiness sector, including the National Agricultural Marketing Council, The Western Cape
Department of Agriculture, the Industrial Development Corporation, and several guests from Stellenbosch
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University. The program concluded with the presentation of the MMM Certificates of Completion and the African
Agribusiness Entrepreneur of the Year award, an annual prize that recognizes an outstanding agribusiness from
the Continent. The 2014 award went to the highly successful agribusiness entrepreneur Mahenye Muya of Suba
Agro Trading and Engineering Co. Ltd. from Tanzania.
Participants also had the opportunity to attend one of three post-workshop tours: Agricol (a South African seed
company), Lourensford Wine Estate, and DeFynne Nursery. Click here to view photos from the DeFynne tour.
The evaluations indicate that overall the program was enthusiastically received, and participants rated it as highly
successful. The topics covered were relevant to participants’ professional backgrounds. The training materials
met participants’ expectations, who found them practical and applicable to their work. Overall participants also
felt that facilitators delivered well thought-out and applicable presentations and that the learning environment
was conducive to discussions and debate as well as networking.
Mahenya N.C. Muya - The 2014 African Agribusiness Entrepreneur of the Year
Mahenye N.C. Muya is the Owner/Managing Director of Suba Agro Trading and Engineering Co. Ltd (SATEC). SATEC’s mission is “to
improve the agricultural sector in Tanzania and in the region by empowering farmers through the development, provision and
promotion of quality, appropriate and affordable agro-inputs as well as developing their output market so as to make agriculture a
sustainable, profitable and viable enterprise”. Founded in 1996, SATEC currently has 103 permanent employees and up to 500
seasonal employees. Under the outstanding leadership of Mr. Mahenye Muya, the company has grown rapidly by finding innovative
ways to reach farmers at the village level. The company has also invested in value addition of crops to improve farmer outputs. Its
notable achievement include the following:
SATEC has designed and implemented an innovative marketing and promotion system for agro-inputs, which has contributed to
an increase in farmers’ adoption rate of improved inputs from 5% in 2001 to more than 20% in 2013 in SATEC’s markets.
SATEC established its own agro-processing and commodity trading company, FRASAL Intertrade, which is running a highly
successful contract farming scheme for small scale sesame seed farmers. The company is looking to duplicate this successful
program with sunflowers and sorghum in the near future.
For more information about the company, please visit: www.subaagro.com
Mahenye Muya (2nd from right) flanked by MMM coordinators (l-r) Mohammad Karaan, Ed Mabaya, and Ralph Christy.
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Profile of Participants
The program drew 76 participants from diverse geographic and occupational backgrounds. Participants came from
10 countries, represented producers (51%), seed companies (20%), processors (15%), NGOs (9%) and government
(5%). To make the learning process more effective, participants were divided into two groups during the first two
days, when the program included more interactive learning and small group work utilizing the case studies.
Number of participants by gender. Number of participants by sector.
Country No. of participants
Botswana 2
Ghana 1
Kenya 10
Malawi 1
Mozambique 1
South Africa 52
Tanzania 2
Uganda 3
Zambia 2
Zimbabwe 2
Male58%
Female42% Male
Female
Processor15% Education
5%
NGO9%
Producer51%
Seed Company
20%
Countries represented in MMM14 (shaded in brown)