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Italy and UNIDO joint efforts in the leather sector

31/05/2013

At the presence of Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy, H.E. Mr rnLapo Pistelli, Director General of Italian Development Cooperation, Mr. rnGiampaolo Cantini, UNIDO Representativern and Director of Regional Office, Mr. Jean Bagambanya Bakole, and State rnMinister of Industry, H.E. Ato Tadesse Haile, the Agreement for the rnsecond phase of the initiative "Technical Assistance Project for the rnUp-Grading of the Ethiopian Leather and Leather Products Industry", was rnsigned today. The project will be implemented by UNIDO in the next two rnyears, through a 750,000 Euro grant made available by the Italian rnDevelopment Cooperation. The ceremony was held in the EIFCCOS Cluster rnlocated in Yeka Sub-City, which has been established by the Ethiopian rnGovernment and supported by the Italian Development Cooperation and rnUNIDO.

The new Italian intervention in support of the leather rnindustry was initiated in 2012 and is the last of several initiatives rnundertaken in this sector by the Italian Development Cooperation and rnUNIDO in the last ten years. The first phase of the project has providedrn support to the leather sector as a whole, strengthening technical and rnmanagerial skills of tanneries, small and medium enterprises producing rnleather goods, as well as of the Leather Industry Development Institute rn(LIDI), the leading institution in the sector created by the Ethiopian rnMinistry of Industry.

The new phase focuses specifically on rnformal and informal micro small and medium enterprises in the leather rnproducts industry, supporting the development of organized clusters. It rnaims at increasing competitiveness and income of such enterprises rnthrough upgrades of quality in compliance with domestic and rninternational standards and through improvements in the organization of rnclusters. Activities will include technical and managerial skills rnupgrading programmes (such as product development and manufacturing, rnintroduction of Enterprise Resource Planning system, marketing and rnpurchasing) both at firm and cluster levels.

During the period rnof the new Ethio-Italian Cooperation Framework 2013-2015, which was rnsigned yesterday, May 30, by the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of rnItaly, H.E. Mr. Lapo Pistelli and the State Minister of Finance and rnEconomic Development of Ethiopia, H.E. Ato Ahmed Shide, Italy will rntherefore keep supporting the leather industry, in line with the rnlong-lasting partnership with Ethiopia for this sector’s development.