APMD stakeholders' benchmarking visit to Ethiopia on livestock PPPs, cooperatives and hide & skin processing

The livestock sector is a key contributor to livelihoods, food security, and economic development in many African countries. In Kenya, governments and development partners are increasingly exploring innovative models, including public-private partnerships (PPPs), cooperatives, and value chain upgrading, to improve productivity, commercialization, and value addition in the livestock sector.

Ethiopia stands out as a regional leader in implementing practical livestock sector reforms. The country has successfully operationalized PPPs in livestock services and infrastructure, promoted strong livestock cooperative networks, and made significant investments in the hide and skin value chain especially in processing and exports.

The APMD Platform is organizing a Stakeholders’ Benchmarking Visit to Ethiopia aimed at exploring best practices in the operationalization of livestock facilities through Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), hide and skin processing, and livestock cooperative models. This exposure visit will serve as a valuable platform for knowledge exchange and peer learning between key stakeholders from Kenya and Ethiopia, with the goal of fostering innovation and enhancing the effectiveness of interventions in the livestock sector. 

The benchmarking visit aims to enhance knowledge sharing, capacity building, and regional collaboration in livestock sector development. The specific objectives are to:

• Understand Ethiopia’s experience in structuring and managing public-private partnerships (PPPs) in livestock services and infrastructure.
• Learn from the governance, business models, and operations of livestock cooperatives in Ethiopia.
• Observe best practices in hides and skin business (production, collection, processing, and quality assurance), including export-oriented leather production.
• Generate actionable insights to inform livestock policy and program design in Kenya
• Foster Cross-Country Collaboration and Strategic Partnerships: Facilitate stakeholder dialogue to promote partnerships among actors from Kenya and Ethiopia for joint potential initiatives in areas such as Hide and Skins, Public Private Partnership and Livestock Cooperative models.

The benchmarking visit will focus on the following priority areas within the livestock sector, selected for their potential to drive sustainable growth, value addition, and institutional strengthening:

1. Establishment and Operationalization of Livestock Facilities through Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs):
   Exploring models where public and private sector collaboration has led to improved infrastructure, service delivery, and management efficiency in livestock facilities, including abattoirs, holding grounds, and quarantine stations.
2. Hide and Skin Processing:
   Examining successful approaches in the collection, preservation, processing, and marketing of hides and skins, with emphasis on quality control, value addition, and access to export markets.
3. Livestock Cooperative Models:
   Learning from effective cooperative structures that enhance livestock production, aggregation, input supply, service access, and market linkages for smallholder farmers.

These focus areas have been identified based on their relevance to ongoing national livestock development goals, and their potential for replication or adaptation in the Kenyan context.

The visit will bring together a diverse group of stakeholders (decision makers) from Kenya selected based on their strategic roles in the livestock sector.