U.S. Government Project to Increase Availability of Affordable and Nutritious Foods in Ethiopia

The U.S. Government launched the African Alliance for Improved Food Processing in Ethiopia today, a new project that is designed to increase the quality and competitiveness of the Ethiopian food processing sector and to expand the availability of affordable and nutritious foods.

This project will offer customized technical assistance to 20 medium and large Ethiopian millers and wheat processors to implement quality management systems, meet national standards and certification requirements, develop processes and products tailored to market demand, strengthen financial systems, and improve business efficiencies. The project supports the President’s Feed the Future Initiative and is administered through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by TechnoServe in partnership with Partners in Food Solutions (PFS),

The training for staff, senior management, and regulators will focus on fortification, wheat production and processing, baking technology, milling, grain trading, prevention of mycotoxins and quality management. The project will also provide training for food processors on key areas such as traceability, manufacturing practices, logistics, and core business-development skills.

“The President’s Feed the Future Initiative promotes agriculture productivity improved nutrition.  Achievement of these goals in Ethiopia will be advanced by this new food processing project. The project complements the policies of the Ethiopian government, especially the wheat value chain highlighted in the government’s Agriculture Growth Program and the promotion of safe fortified foods emphasized by the government’s National Nutrition Program,” said USAID Ethiopia Deputy Mission Director Jason Fraser. “We also expect increased incomes from wheat sales for Ethiopia’s smallholder farmers and greater access to quality and nutritious foods for Ethiopia’s children.”

The training should result in increased revenues for the participating firms and increased volumes of wheat products sold in local retail and food aid markets. Improvement in the scale and competitiveness of the wheat processing industry will also result in increased rural employment.

This press release originally appeared on the U.S. Embassy Ethiopia website.