EuroAfri Link training program to access international markets

The Competitive Guide to International Markets

A Business Development Training On How To Access International Markets in Horticulture: Case of  the EU- AU

The EU and Africa are connected together in two major ways. One is as neighbours like the case of Morocco in Africa and Spain in Europe separated by just 15 km at the Strait of Gibraltar. Also, there is the human connection from the diasporas from all African countries living and working in the EU. However, there is also the « shared values » connection between the EU and African peoples and nations. Among these shared values is trade. Europe remains the first trading partner of Africa. But how can Africa benefit from this great opportunity of trading with Europe? How can African smallholder farmers take advantage of this trading framework with Europe in ways that will increase their competitiveness and position African agribusiness in the world? This is what this blog aims to address.

According to an article written by H. R. Barrett et al, in the International Journal for Sustainable Production Systems about “…Accessing the EU Market from the Developing World” by smallholders farmers, is increasing especially when it comes to organic food and this also applies especially to Africa. As such, the importance of developing trade exchanges between  Africa and the EU has to be a perfect fit in terms of standards and quality. The EU demand for African products is increasing which can improve trade deals with EU partners. Exporting from Africa to Europe has a lot of significant benefits both for farmers and small businesses as well as for EU buyers and consumers. For instance, by exporting to Europe, producers in Africa will be able to have a decent job, ensures a steady income, strengthen and empower people in the communities to do things that they could not have otherwise been able to do like sending their kids to school, investing in projects, and finally trading helps producers make informed decisions on what they are doing great and what needs adjustment. On the part of the European, importing from African producers will help them acquire quality organic products which will go a long way to help with a healthy diet. This is especially so for climate-based products which are not cost-effective in Europe like Avocados, mangos, pineapple, etc. But how does one ensure that the quality of products coming from Africa is of quality and genuinely so? How do producers produce in a way that meets EU standards?

EuroAfri Link Unique Branded Solution (UBS)

Accessing international markets is challenging and this is even much so for smallholder farmers. This is because of the limited information and knowledge on how, what to do, and how to do it. Again, with the ocean dividing Europe and Africa, knowing what to do on the other side of the continent without assistance is often challenging. EuroAfri Link as the name suggests specialises in connecting African businesses to EU investors in agriculture to attract investments for projects in Africa. This connection intends to be fair, inclusive, and sustainable for a win-win scenario for both sides. The focus is on women and young people (For women-led businesses or men-led businesses with women). The major challenges for African entrepreneurs based on experience are access to finance and most important accessing new markets for their products. With research-informed practices and expert market know-how, EuroAfri Link acts as a mediator between African entrepreneurs and European investors, ensuring the business transaction process is smooth from initial contact to the delivery of the product and the eventual conclusion of contracts.

EAL market linkage activities

Over the past years, EuroAfri link has worked on projects on markets access with shea butter farmers to buyers in the Netherlands sourcing from Africa achieving quality shea butter and other commodities that were a perfect fit for the EU market like quality standards and complying with EU regulatory requirements.  This is what EAL is doing for their avocado farmers in Kenya, cocoa butter and mango butter and natural oils from Ghana, and cocoa beans farmers in Cameroon. To ensure that producers are aware of global standards assurance, especially that for the EU, the EuroAfri Link team came together and design a training program as their Unique Branded Solution (UBS) which is a competency and competitive guide to accessing international markets. It is a trading guide for EU importers sourcing from Africa, African exporters exporting to Europe, and as well as tech companies entering the African market with technologies to enhance farmers’ productivity, value addition, and help them win deals. For African producers, in particular, this training program will help small businesses in Africa to know exactly what to do to access the EU market with their product stress-free. The importance of the training program is to make sure that produces know what is required to enter new markets, like the EU markets with international quality standards products, sourcing from African farmers having a guaranteed quality product, and tech transfer to help promote production, productivity, and value addition for farmers and to increase farmers profit margins while creating revenue for buyers as well.

As such if

A.) You are an exporter,  importer, or à tech company interested in creating an impact that makes profits or

B.) You work in an NGO,  Ministry,   donor organisation that is interested in teaching SMEs about entering new markets with products or using tech transfer solutions?

Then contact EuroAfri Link today for a training guide on how to go about it.

Take this opportunity and grow your business. Be part of the solution!

By Patience Chindong- CEO EuroAfri Link