Kenya Industrialization Research and Development Institute has partnered with the University of Nairobi to train women fish farmers in Kisumu and Busia on Fish Value Addition.
The training falls under a project by the University of Nairobi which aims at incubating women’s enterprises.
Speaking at the event, KIRDI’s director general, Dr Calvin Onyango, further stressed the program’s objective of promoting the growth of women in informal food processing enterprises.
“What we do first as an institution is support enterprises to develop themselves,” he said.
“We are now working with the University of Nairobi and other partners to enhance the capacity of women entrepreneurs to develop products. In this particular case we are working with them to develop products from fish.”
The program which targets women from the coast, eastern and western regions strives to train them on how to incorporate technology into their fishing activities.
Speaking on the importance of the training, Onyango said it would give women a chance to get high-quality products that can perform well in the competitive market.
“Once they make them into higher value products, they reduce their post-service losses. This enables them to get better products for their market,” Onyango said.
To reach more women, KIRDI and the University of Nairobi have partnered with other stakeholders such as the Kenya Institute of Education (KIE) to roll out the program in Turkana, Kilifi, Kwale and Kitui counties.
After the training, KIRDI will help the trainees begin manufacturing their products and ensure they get a certification from the Kenya Bureau of Standards.
The trainees will be given marketing skills and KIRDI will partner with them to ensure that the finished products are available in supermarkets across the country.
The trainees are expected to share the skills learnt with other interested members of the community.
“I will use this chance that I’ve received to empower other women and earn a living,” one of the trainees said.