Last week saw the first on-the-ground visit to Tanzania under the SIPS project to participate in workshops in Dodoma and Mwanza.
The first workshop, in Dodoma, was attended by 45 representatives from national and local government, leather manufacturers and footwear manufacturers. Following the main presentations, the assembled group held some interesting discussions around the key challenges for the Country, including the need to retain high quality raw material in the domestic supply chain and support for true implementation of better practices and structures.
The second workshop took place in Mwanza and was attended by 37 representatives from local abattoirs and hide collectors. This focussed more on specific training but culminated in a positive two-way dialogue to discuss the upstream challenges and opportunities for the region.
As a first step in the SIPS project, this was an encouraging week that began to lay foundations for improvement that will result in real implementation for the future.
We’re looking forward to continuing this important work in the region.