Challenges

Livestock is an important sector of Ethiopia’s economy in terms of its contributions to the national GDP. The sector sustains and supports the livelihood of 70% of the rural households throughout the country. This project by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) aims to develop the country’s meat export market and improve the competitiveness of meat value chains and livestock industry through targeted capacity building technical interventions in the value chain, attracting investment, and promoting meat export.

Toward a Solution

Livestock production is closely linked with the economic, social and cultural lives of smallholders in Ethiopia. By improving the productivity of the livestock value chain, the project contributes to poverty reduction and food security through enhancing incomes and livelihood of the smallholder farmers. The project also facilitates investment in integrated livestock processing industrial infrastructure and improves value addition, which further contributes to sustainable industrial development.

The project develops the livestock industry in a small-scale pilot area of Ethiopia with the country’s strategic location, availability of resources, and diverse agro-ecological zones. The project implements systematic strategies including in-depth research and analysis, knowledge sharing and technology transfer, institutional development, policy recommendations, promotion of multistakeholder partnerships, and export facilitation.

UNIDO has been working closely with the Government of Ethiopia and the Government of China to develop this project in phases, addressing main constraints such as low capacity in terms of human resource development and robust legislation. The project is an essential component of the Programme for Country Partnership for Ethiopia (PCP-ETH), contributing to the sustainable industrial development in a systematic and well-aligned manner.

In response to the request of the Government of Ethiopia to address key constraints hindering the development of the sector, UNIDO initiated the development of the project in collaboration with the Government of China and the Government of Ethiopia. This project is supported by South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund and is developed in-line with key priorities of strengthening South-South collaboration and experience sharing. It aims to benchmark the livestock development experience of selected Southern countries so as to draw best practices and standards applicable to the context of Ethiopia. The project also strengthens local institutions by improving their ability to coordinate activities along the livestock value chain, and contributes to the structural transformation and poverty elimination, with efforts and experiences from experts and institutions of both Ethiopia and China.

The project is a multi-stakeholder partnership that links the development efforts of both the public and private sectors to improve the competitiveness of meat production in Ethiopia. Long-term collaboration with partners increases the sustainability of the management of the project. The project incorporates mechanisms that guarantee equitable access to beneficiaries and distribution of project benefits on a continuous basis. Gender considerations are taken into account in the research and capacity-building activities. Local ownership is a key element of the project. The Ministry of Agriculture of Ethiopia and Ethiopian Agriculture Authority will continue the capacity-building efforts beyond the project period, maintain and expand training for the value chain actors. Lessons learned from the implementation of this project can be replicated and applied to other Developing and Least Developed Countries.