Ethiopia is one of the fastest growing economies in the world with an estimated GDP growth of 7.7% in 2019. One of the contributing industries to this success is the food processing sector of Ethiopia. It employs nearly 1 million people which is around 2% of the total economically active population of this country. In 2018, it exported US$2.6 billion worth of food to China, Saudi-Arabia, the United States, Germany, East Africa, and many other countries. However, this growth is being hindered by inadequate food safety measures and an unskilled work force.
Within the project, the qualification of Tasty Foods PLC as well as the establishment of Education Structures for Industry-Based Training will be the main focus. Tasty Foods PLC will implement food safety and quality standards at its factory as per FSSC 22000 and upgrade its laboratory facilities as per ISO 17025 to reach international requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories.
Simultaneously, Tasty Foods PLC will establish an industry-based training structure for staff and workers, as well as lab technicians and train 402 trainees, and create job opportunities for at least 201 trainees. The target groups are the students of Addis Ababa Institute of Technology and the College of Business and Economics of AAU, as well as general job seekers and unskilled workers. It will build a skilled workforce with proper technical and food safety knowledge for the Tasty Foods factory as well as for the industry.
Cooperation will be established with the Addis Ababa University (AAU), the Ethiopian Food Beverage Pharmaceutical Industry Development Institute (FBPIDI), and the Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce & Sectoral Associations (ECCSA) in order to promote and disseminate the project knowledge in a larger scale.
