Africa Capacity Building

Recently, Galilee College, the World Bank and MASHAV together initiated a program where groups of senior African executives from various government ministries were invited to attend a variety of management courses at the Galilee College. These courses are especially planned and designed for their nations' needs. In May, 1998, a pilot course was held to which one representative from each of the participating countries was invited. These senior officials attended lectures on a wide range of topics and chose a number of courses that seemed most relevant to their countries' requirements.

These courses are geared to helping participants create an outline for a development project to be implemented in their home countries. The staff of Galilee College is in ongoing communication with those who complete their studies, and six months after the course academic staff is scheduled to travel to the participating countries to monitor implementation and progress.

The first of this series of courses, held in September 1998, was on Health Systems Management, attended by participants from Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, Uganda, Ghana, Kenya and Liberia. Galilee College staff travelled to Africa towards the end of March 1999 to have a look at their progress. The second and third of these courses, Rural Development and Development of Small Businesses and Industries, took place during January 1999. In the northern Israeli guest house of Moshav Shavei Zion, 90 participants from Ministries of Industry and Agriculture of 10 African nations, half French-speaking and half English-speaking, attended three weeks of intensive study.

Dr. Joseph Shevel, Chairman of the Board at Galilee College added that "The Galilee College staff greatly enjoyed the experience of meeting with groups of highly motivated individuals. At the conclusion of the three-week program, in which we worked jointly with the participants, feelings of achievement were felt by all. We are optimistic that the projects will be successfully implemented. In six months we will be traveling to Africa to meet with all the participants and witness the realization of this joint venture."

The three project reports, parts of which we present here, are representative of the creativity seen.

Prepared and presented by: Felix Nelson Amoakoh, Albert Datsa, Abraham Laryea Odai, Asare Brahimah Sintim, Emmanuel Odartey Lamptey, Ernest Opong Boateng and Gertrude Ansah

The most important and widely cultivated spices in Ghana are chillies (pepper) and ginger. Chillies are grown and used in almost all regions of Ghana, but about 50-60% of the chillies produced annually rot due to poor processing techniques. Traditional methods of processing chillies involve boiling, sun-drying and, in some cases, grinding. This method is inefficient since it results in loss of organoleptic (qualities of taste, color, odor) properties and exposure of the product to contamination. Presently a large percentage of ginger produced in Ghana finds its way to Nigeria from where it is exported in the processed form to the international market.

With recent growth in the restaurant and hotel industries, there is great demand for spices both locally and on the international market. Ghana has a comparative advantage in the spice business, but poor processing techniques and packaging render Ghanaian products uncompetitive on the international market.

The purpose of this project is to adapt and transfer appropriate technology for the processing of spices for small business industries to achieve the following:

• Eliminate post-harvest losses.
• Increase the income levels of small holder spice farmers to reduce poverty in the rural areas.
• Improve the methods used in the production of spices by small-scale processors.
• Facilitate the development and promotion of spices as non-traditional exports.
• Create employment for the youth in areas where spices are grown.
• Train 200 entrepreneurs in spice processing.

Export of processed chillies increased from 12 metric tons in 1990 to 1,419 metric tons in 1997. More requests are being received daily, indicating the market potential for product.

In order to achieve the objectives the following shall be taken:

• A survey to establish the major spices production areas.
• Selection and adaptation of appropriate technology
• Establishment of one pilot processing plant at Katamansu.
• Training of 200 entrepreneurs in new processing techniques, quality assurance and packaging.
• Preparation of brochures on the production techniques and marketing requirements.
• Establishment of a database on the project for dissemination to the general public.
• Linking up of existing and prospective processors to credit institutions so they can acquire new technology.

It is strongly recommended that the processing of spices be promoted seriously as a means of increasing personal incomes and export revenues in Ghana. This will be in line with the government efforts at reducing poverty in the rural areas and making farming a viable venture for the rural folk. The establishment of a pilot spice processing plant with appropriate technologies for the training of small businesses, farmers and exporters is therefore an important step in achieving the set objectives. The successful implementation of the project will be a prelude to the replication of such plants nationwide.

Agriculture is currently considered the mainstay of Benin's economy, both in terms of its contribution to the GDP and in terms of the proportion of the working population involved in it. One of the government's current priorities is to develop agricultural production and processing in the various regions, both in order to discourage internal migration, particularly by young people and women, and also in order to increase rural added value and farmers' income, help safeguard food supply, turn the country's food-product potential to good use and create jobs. The current project is part of the government's Action Program and is intended to promote foodstuffs and cash crops earmarked for domestic consumption and export.

The main goals of the project are:

• to modernize the growing, production, processing and marketing of cassava and its by-products,
• to increase the income of farmers in this location and the surrounding localities,
• to provide agricultural training to rural youngsters of working age, whether or not attending school,
• to teach agricultural techniques, financial management and how to run a farm to young producers being trained at the Se Vocational Training Center, as well as to various families selected for the project,
• to promote the participatory community-based approach to development.

Prepared and presented by: Bonaventure Aboghe, Director-General of the Assistance and Guarantee Fund, René Badinga Mouanda, Training Officer, Gabon Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Christian M'envie M'obame, Director of Land Development Arlette, and Ovone Ngningone, Researcher, SENAREC-Gabon

The Gabon economy's over-dependence on oil has led the political authorities to seek ways of promoting the non-oil sector, and in particular labor-intensive activities which can contribute to the population's well-being. Today's structural adjustment plans reflect this approach.

The purpose of the project is to enable as many people as possible to become home owners based on the use oflocal materials, while one part of the project involves laying on services to building sites the other part involves building housing based on consolidated earth bricks.

Promoting this building technique involves two phases:

1. Making consolidated earth bricks
   
2. Using consolidated earth bricks to build housing.

A study of the current situation shows that there is a shortage of housing due both to population movements and to increase in household sizes in towns. There are two aspects to population movements in Gabon. Population shift from villages to towns (rural exodus); and population shift from other African countries mainly to Gabon. As a result of these changes, a need for collective investments in housing and employment has developed.

The lack of an overall planning and urbanization program and the shortage of financial resources result in new households frequently building their own makeshift housing units, which fail to meet any sanitary or engineering standards. It is estimated that some 1,500 of these unhealthy housing units go up every year. In respect of the increase in the number of households living in towns, we are registering an annual movement of new households corresponding to 4,500 units. Hence we are facing an annual deficit of 6,000 housing units.

In addition, because of the cost of property ownership, the high cost of laying on services and building housing units, the high interest rate for bank loans which cannot be met out of income by 65% of households, it is vital and urgent to find a low-cost housing-construction method, based on the use of local materials.

Building with consolidated earth bricks appears a suitable approach because, compared with the breeze blocks normally used, this method is 30% to 60% cheaper. Technically speaking, the consolidated earth brick (CEB) has the advantage of being available, strong and suitable for Gabon's hot and humid client. In addition, a consolidated earth brick house is estimated to have a life span of 50 years.

CEB is obtained from a mixture of earth, crushed sand, a cement binder, and water, which are mixed well, pressed and dried. This is a manufacturing process involving compression of earth bricks. The bricks can be mass-produced to order and sold to small-scale builders and companies.

Investment in Libreville alone may be spread over a mean period of 17 years in order to offset the current shortage of 100,000 housing units in all, with an annual average of 6,000 housing units. Developing this sector of activity will undoubtedly help to reduce unemployment levels.

The Action Plan includes:

1. Market analysis: on-the-spot study, study report, drawing up variants, selecting two variants.
2. Project evaluation: economic evaluation, financial evaluation.
3. Project transmission
4. Project start-up
5. Technical training of small and medium-sized companies: management and supervision of work sites, introduction to the manufacturing process for consolidated earth bricks.