Tropic Fruit Triple Helix workshop in Ethiopia

On Tuesday 13 December 2022, an Arba Minch Triple Helix platform workshop was organised in the framework of the Bright Future in Agriculture (BFA) project, taking place in the town of Wolayita Sodo, Ethiopia. A harvesting tool introduced by the platform to reduce fruit post-harvest loss was formally handed over by Dr. Huub Mudde, BFA project director and Mr Akalu Sima, Nuffic.

In the opening remark, Dr. Solomon Mogus, BFA project coordinator, narrated the evolving stages of the platform from awareness creation to practical intervention, including the development of the harvesting tool technology and other ongoing initiatives. He also emphasised the importance of the active involvement of the stakeholders to meet the platform's objectives. Following this, Mr. Merkineh Mesene, Dean of Wolayita Sodo Agricultural College, and the Arba Minch triple helix platform coordinator, presented the key activities the platform has accomplished in the past years. He also expressed that the frequent engagement among the stakeholders from the three sectors significantly contributed to realising the harvesting tool, starting from the design to product development.

In his speech, Dr. Huub Mudde stressed the relevance of sustaining the platform beyond the project cycle. He also emphasised that ownership and belief in the impact of the platform are essential ingredients to ensure the platform's sustainability. Dr. Mudde highlighted the findings of a recent study undertaken among the members of three Ethiopian triple helix platforms that indicated the benefits of the platform both individually and institutionally in terms of getting additional diverse knowledge and network among stakeholders.

A draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also presented for discussion as part of the sustainability strategy for the platform. The principles, objectives, and each stakeholder role have been given attention during the discussion. The stakeholders expressed their recommendations, among which the involvement of new stakeholders to be part of the platform. The official signing of the MoU will be conducted during the next platform workshop. The participants agreed on the key activities to finalise within the project time and work on strategizing the platform's sustainability.

The Nuffic Coordinator, Mr. Akalu Sima was also present at the workshop to make a brief speech on Nuffic’s contribution in Ethiopia and other sub-Saharan African countries. Mr. Akalu mentioned the importance of stakeholders from all sectors, public, private, and academia, creating a knowledge exchange platform to solve various problems on the ground. He concluded by expressing his compliments to the platform for the effort that has been put into getting visible practical solutions for farmer problems and by wishing success for the remaining time of the project.

In the closing remarks, Dr. Huub Mudde again acknowledged all the stakeholders for making the platform successful, followed by the hand-over ceremony of the harvesting tool. The tool was handed to fruit farms, universities, TVET College, and Zonal and Woreda-level agricultural offices for further dissemination and promotion of the tool to be accessed by many farmers in the Southern region.

About Bright Future in Agriculture
Bright Future in Agriculture is a four-year project that supports the Ethiopian agricultural technical and vocational education and training (TVET) sector. The project is funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands and is managed by Nuffic as part of the Orange Knowledge Programme. There are in total 12 beneficiary institutions in Ethiopia out of which the Ethiopian Technical University and Arba Minch University are the lead partners. Maastricht School of Management from the Netherlands is the lead implementer and together with 8 consortium member institutions from the Netherlands, Ethiopia and South Africa partake as providers. For more information and updates visit the BFA website. 

Orange Knowledge Programme
This project is part of the Orange Knowledge Programme (OKP) which is funded by the Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs and managed by Nuffic. For more information click here.

MSM's Expert Centre on Emerging Economies

This institutional collaboration project is part of MSM's Expert Centre on Emerging Economies. The department is an expert centre on local economic development in emerging and developing markets.​ We capacitate managers and professionals from government, private sector, NGOs, and post-secondary education in Africa, Asia, Middle East, and Latin America. We offer consultancy and customized training programs, and we manage complex projects in key sectors, e.g. water, agriculture and health. For more information click here.

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