Catalyzing change through youth capacity building to unlock Africa’s soybean potential
In Uganda, value addition and product development are crucial for enhancing agribusiness competitiveness and sustainability. However, many youths and women in agri-food enterprises face challenges in processing, product formulation, and quality assurance, limiting their ability to meet market standards and scale their businesses.
In Uganda, value addition and product development are crucial for enhancing agribusiness competitiveness and sustainability. However, many youths and women in agri-food enterprises face challenges in processing, product formulation, and quality assurance, limiting their ability to meet market standards and scale their businesses. To address this, IITA–CGIAR, through the Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) Soybean Compact and ENABLE TAAT Youth Compact, in collaboration with Makerere University and Smart Foods Uganda Limited, organized a 5-day Training-of-Trainers (ToT) workshop on Food Processing and Value Addition under the TAAT Soybean project. This training hosted by Makerere University’s Department of Food Technology and Nutrition in Kampala, Uganda brought together 60 youths, women and men. The training objectives were multifaceted, focusing on strengthening technical skills in formulating diverse soy-based products, building knowledge and competencies in Good Hygiene and Manufacturing Practices (GHP/GMP), and equipping trainees with practical experience in the manufacturing of soy-based products.
Africa strategy (2016-2025) aims to boost agricultural productivity across Africa by rapidly delivering proven technologies to millions of farmers. TAAT also seeks to generate an additional 120 million metric tons (MT) of agricultural produce and improve the livelihoods of over 40 million smallholder farmers across Africa by 2025. Specifically, the TAAT Soybean Compact focuses on building capacity and providing technical assistance to National Agricultural Research and Extension Services (NARES) and the private sector, enhancing soybean production and productivity for improved nutrition and income.