Leather Value Chain: Intervention Approach. Through Result Area 3 the project intends to enhance private sector participation in regional leather and associated value chains. The leather supply chain in the SADC countries and also across the entire region has enormous gaps with regard to the supply of high-quality intermediate inputs timely and in adequate quantities and varieties that meet the market demands and tastes. In addition to this there is limited or no systematic collaboration both vertically and horizontally by enterprises in the VC, however new initiatives are emerging in South Africa and also Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Regarding enhancing business and subject matter knowledge skills (Sub-Result 3.1) facilitators for cluster management will be trained to strengthen the cluster approach. The success of developing a viable cluster is hinged on whether there is an economic or technical opportunity to develop joint actions on procurement, production, marketing or joint research and development. The centrality of clustering is that it provides for joint action on the execution of business transactions, which leads to reduction in unit costs, access to quality inputs and large formal markets. Moreover, SMEs owners and/operators will be trained on joint action on procurement, production and marketing. Also, regional B2B meetings to promote regional business linkages will be organised together with respective sector associations. Training will be implemented at two levels starting with a regional Training of Trainers (ToT) course of experts drawn from intermediary institutions, who in turn will be expected to deliver training programs at country level, offer continuous coaching, mentoring and monitoring of the selected enterprise clusters. The offering of other services such as coaching, mentoring and monitoring beyond the first training is premised on the fact that behavioural change, adoption and adaption of new management and production processes is not an event but a process. In the field of business operating systems and procedures (Sub-Result 3.2) tailor made training courses will be designed and conducted on quality improvement based on the detailed mapping exercise. The Action will support the development of information and experience exchange platforms for enterprises in the leather industry and associated value chains to the extent that they impact on the production of leather. Many SMEs operating in the region operate in isolation and have no access to market intelligence about the...
