The 2011 ONE Africa Award finalists continue with the announcement of our third finalist, a model for social entrepreneurship in the agriculture sector. If you are already familiar with ONE’s recent activities then you will know that we recently launched our campaign to address the famine in the Horn of Africa. Hunger and malnutrition continue to be important issues on the continent and that’s why the work that our next finalist, Sylva Food Solutions (SFS), is doing is so important.

Sylvia Banda, the founder of SFS, is a very well known personality in Zambia and speaks regularly on the most popular private radio station in the country, Radio Phoenix, about the importance of using local foods, nutrition, and maintaining a healthy life style. With 10 employees, Sylvia started SFS in 2005 building on her successful catering business that had been around for about 25 years.

Sylvia Banda and members of her team

The idea for SFS came to Sylvia after observing the deterioration in the quality of the kinds of food being eaten in Zambia. Much of the food lacked nutritional content and she quickly noticed the opportunity for promoting the use of vegetables in the Zambian diet. Sylvia embarked on an effort to work with farmers and train them to preserve vegetables hygienically with the guarantee that she would purchase them, thereby guaranteeing a market for these goods. These vegetables, the leaves from staple crops like pumpkins and sweet potatoes, were previously discarded by the farmers but are now a new potential source of income.

Sylva Foods seeks to provide an efficient and viable avenue for rural smallholder farmers to market their indigenous farm produce to both local and export markets. The organization promotes improved quality of farm yields by training farmers to add value and focus on hygiene in the harvesting of their produce. In the last 6 years, Sylva Foods has trained over 8,500 smallholder rural farmers in Zambia, which has enabled them to scale up their production capacity and engage directly with the markets. They have also engaged in marketing and lobbying efforts to promote the consumption of indigenous foods, including working with the Zambian First Lady to participate in a national television program promoting the consumption of indigenous food. SFS also organized “Cook of the Year” competitions and involved hotels, schools and the general public to spread the message about the nutritional value of traditional foods.

Sylva Foods works with rural smallholder farmers

SFS has also impacted the consumer culture around Zambian vegetables and raised demand by advocating for a return to the traditional foods that Zambians used to eat before the global culture of fast food started impacting their diet. SFS invested profits from the catering business into the initial interventions including the cooking competitions. As they have built success, the government and donors have become involved and they have been able to access additional funding to scale up their work. The Zambian Development Agency has also featured SFS in many regional and international trade expositions leading to the development of agreements between SFS and other countries to supply their markets with indigenous Zambian food.

Sylvia Banda continues to develop her idea of transforming the agriculture sector to provide improved nutritional benefit and economic empowerment of Zambians. Her next endeavour is a catering college where she hopes that she will train the next generation of Zambian cooks who will be familiar with the nutritional value of local foods and able to respond to the increasing demand that she has helped to foster in her country.

Congratulations to Sylvia Food Solutions for all your hard work and for making it to the finals of the 2011 ONE Africa Award. We wish you the very best of luck.

I chatted up Patience, who was manning the booth. She gave me a bit of background on the company, which is based in Livingstone here in Zambia. Fallsway has been profiting from a boom in tourism and construction activities during the past few years, as many of their products end up in new hotels going up here in Zambia and elsewhere. Fallsway is also able to export to Botswana and South Africa and is hoping to expand to the States by making contacts here at the AGOA Forum.

The one idea I took away was how important it will be for African countries to work towards regional integration in areas such customs and border crossings, which is a big part of this year’s AGOA Forum. I took a little video interview of Patience as she explains the challenges Fallsway’s drivers and transporters have in crossing the borders to Botswana and South Africa. It’s another reminder of why AGOA is encouraging African countries to integrate and trade more between themselves to build better economies and develop stronger markets.

This session was oversubscribed with a lot of private sector people attending, particularly from the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) sector. It was moderated by Justin Chinyanta, Chairman and CEO of Loita Capital Partners International in Johannesburg, a pan-African investment banking firm focused on Africa. Justin is also a former VP at Citibank’s and HSBC’s Africa regional offices. The other panel member was Lloyd Chingambo, who is CEO of Lloyds Financial and Chair of the Africa Carbon Credit Exchange. Lloyds Financial specializes in asset management, project finance, carbon finance, development of innovative investment instruments and debt restructuring.

The key issues that came out of this session were that most African SMEs have a very rudimentary understanding of business and commerce, illustrated by the failure to keep basic financial books, the tendency to run the business as a family affair, the co-mingling of company funds with family funds and the lack of proper corporate governance and oversight, among other challenges. Most questions from the audience revolved around the difficulty of sourcing startup capital and the lack of information about business incubation and advisory services. The irony, as pointed out by Lloyd, being that when people don’t feel well they seek the opinion of a doctor, when they have a legal problem they engage a lawyer but when they want to start a business, there is a misplaced perception that they can do it themselves and this is what leads to a high rate of failure.

I took a macro view to financing industrial development, in which I highlighted the key constraints as being the infrastructure gap that results in prohibitive costs of doing business and makes it difficult for African business to be competitive on a global scale. Specifically, poor roads, constant power cuts and inadequate water supply all of which have a negative impact on industrial development and hinder the ability to maximize the benefits of an initiative like AGOA. I also pointed out the important role of regional integration for economies of scale as being necessary to transform the economic structures of the continent. Also key, as I reminded the audience, is the underutilized potential of Africa’s natural resources in financing development. Hence, it is so important that citizens demand transparency with regard to the magnitude of revenues from natural resources as well as accountability in the use of such revenues.

This point led to a lot of exciting discussion from the audience about royalties being unfairly inadequate and generally secret. A former Ghanaian Minister of Commerce, Alan Kyerematen, highlighted the need for African governments to have the courage to borrow on the international bond market using the resources under the ground as collateral–which Ghana has done.

The panel, titled The Next Generation, looked at ways that young people could be better engaged to participate in and benefit from the opportunities presented by AGOA. The panel was moderated by Lena Zamchiya, a vice-president at SIFE International, which works to improve the business sense of university students all over the world. In addition, Modesta Mahiga, an expert in human resource development from Tanzania, and Humphrey Mulemba, Director of Corporate Strategy at United Machining Works in Zambia, joined Sipho to offer their thoughts. We also heard from several audience members, including a few student leaders from the University of Zambia.

The main idea that arose out of the back and forth conversation between the panelists and audience was that young people really have to take ownership of their situation and get involved. As Sipho noted, 70% of Africa’s population is under 35. Humphrey took it a notch further by adding that the “next generation” is in fact the current generation. In other words as Modesta later said, this continent isn’t going anywhere without youth involvement. And therein lies the challenge for upping AGOA’s potential for young people. Regardless of any interventions done by governments and outside groups, individuals have to take responsibility and hold themselves and others to account. Sipho eloquently tied ONE’s current efforts on extractives transparency, which will enable us to hold leaders to account for where funds from natural resources are spent, to enabling a wholesale change in societies that fosters mutual accountability between the people and their governments.

Other tidbits came out of the conversation I should pass on. Humphrey provided some real practical specifics that could better engage young people in business and trade. For example, there could be some trade preferences at the national government level to require a certain percentage of contracts are awarded to and services are provided by youth-owned, up-and-coming companies. Practical education is key. Each of the panelists and even the university students chimed in that oftentimes the higher level education in Zambia and other African countries is too academic and theoretical. There needs to be more practical education opportunities, linking students and new graduates to mentoring programs and apprenticeships to get them on their way into professional careers. There was even some talk on nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit amongst young people so they can start their own business and grow them.

All in all, it was a great conversation to hear some ideas on what to do to move the needle forward and create more opportunities for young people in the next generation of AGOA. The challenge, as always, is to hold our leaders to account–those in the US who will be crafting the next version of AGOA and those leaders in each African country that need to create the policies that foster opportunity for those ready to take it.

Sipho and I attended the opening reception of the 2011 African Growth and Opportunity Act Forum last evening. It coincided with the launch of the International Trade Exhibition, which intends to show off African-made goods and services in order to facilitate business opportunities, both within Africa and between the US.

The opening reception, which was attended and officiated by the Vice President of Zambia, Honorable George Kunda, was a fantastic opportunity to meet folks from a variety of businesses and sectors. I was quite impressed with the diversity of interests represented, from private sector to government to civil society organizations like ONE.

During the reception, I took a few minutes to meander through the International Trade Exhibition. It’s pretty incredible what Africans are ready to produce and export to the world. The variety of goods available — from foodstuffs to finished hardwood flooring to gemstones and more — really struck a chord with me.

I had no idea African countries could trade and export such items, and if I don’t know, then there are many more who don’t. So over the next few days, I intend to interview a few of the businesses, manufacturers and entrepreneurs to give you readers an idea — a taste, dare I say — of what African countries are ready to trade and export. Stay tuned.

My colleague Nealon and I just arrived in Lusaka, Zambia this morning to attend the 10th African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Forum. This three-day marathon of workshops and ministerial meetings marks an important milestone in the US and Africa’s commercial relationship. Enacted in 2000 to reduce tariffs on select products from qualifying sub-Saharan countries, AGOA has been responsible for an estimated $300 billion in export earnings to Africa and created more than 300,000 jobs.

That kind of trade and job creation translates to stronger, broad based economies that are better placed to fight endemic poverty. And as the global economy recovers and competition increases for access to Africa’s markets, it’s important for the US to renew and deepen its commitment to trade and investment on the continent. Ultimately what’s good for Africa is good for America.

As we gather here in Lusaka and contemplate the tangible gains and successes of AGOA, we’re also mindful that as with any ten year old program, tremendous improvements can be made to fully exploit and realize AGOA’s potential. So look for our blog posts and Tweets (@NealonAtONE) over the next four days to learn more about how AGOA is working and what can be done to make it work better.

Tomorrow marks the beginning of the 10th annual African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) forum.

More than 3,000 US and African members of the government, private sector and civil society are gathering in Lusaka, Zambia for three days to discuss ways to strengthen trade between the United States and sub-Saharan Africa. The event is hosted by the president of Zambia.

Senior US officials, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, US Trade Rep. Ron Kirk, MCC CEO Daniel Yohannes, Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson and US Deputy Trade Rep. Demetrios Marantis (who I had the pleasure of interviewing last week), will be in attendance.

ONE will be there, too. Our Africa Director Sipho Moyo will be speaking at a panel discussion on civil society and the unemployed African youth, and Senior Program Manager Nealon DeVore will be live-tweeting his experience of the forum. Follow him @NealonatONE and be sure to use the hashtag #AGOA in your tweet. They’ll both be live-blogging the event, so check the ONE Blog this week.

AGOA is an important piece of legislation to both Africans and Americans. “It opens the US market basically entirely for African exports of essentially everything that Africa produces,” said Amb. Marantis in an interview. “And it allows men and women who otherwise wouldn’t have a job to make a product and sell it to the US.” (Take a look at the graphic up top to see the cycle of AGOA).

AGOA has facilitated importation of more than $4 billion worth of Africa products into the US each year and has helped provide jobs and grow the economies of several African countries. And according to Voice of America, the US market is open to 98 percent of Africa’s products, but to be eligible, countries must make progress in establishing the rule of law, protecting human rights and fighting corruption.

Amb. Marantis hopes that at the conference, the US and Africa can work together to take trade and investment to the next phase and talk openly and honestly about what’s working in AGOA.

Dr. Sipho and Nealon will be reporting live from the event, so don’t forget to check back on the blog for their updates and insights.

Health workers in Zambia say they are battling the worst cholera outbreak in years.

The waterborne disease has killed more than 130 people and sickened close to 5,000 others in the southern African country since March. Luke Arend, head of the Lusaka office of aid group Medecins Sans Frontiers, says that’s the highest number of cases in a decade.

Health ministry spokesman Dr. Reuben Mbewe said Thursday the outbreak was due to flooding in Lusaka, the capital, after torrential rains. Shallow wells that are a main source of domestic water have become contaminated by overflow from pit latrines.

Twelve years ago when Dr Tembo gave me the news that I was HIV positive, he gave me only six months to live. While Time magazine’s Man of the Year—Dr. David Ho—had created a cocktail of drugs that could suppress HIV, it would be years before treatment made its way to the poor hospital in Luanshya, Zambia where I lived.

Even five years later, only eight thousand people in Africa had access to these drugs—but millions had died. At the time, few people knew or admitted what had claimed their lives. We called the disease “Slim” or “Kalawe Noko,” which means ‘go and say goodbye to your mother.’ It had no respect of person—it took the young and the strong, leaving behind the weak and the frail.

Proudly today, I have witnessed a great increase in the number of people accessing treatment. Given the “perfect storm” of conditions that allowed AIDS to march across Africa, the fact that the tide is now turning is both remarkable and inspirational. Millions of deaths have been averted. Children can now sleep at night with their parents watching over them.

But I caution to add—our task is far from over. In 2008, for every two people who started taking antiretroviral drugs, another five become newly infected. Access to treatment is a long way from being universal.

We need to maintain the pressure on our elected leaders, our places of worship and our broader communities to march forward.

Twelve years ago, I was given six months to live. I am still fighting, and God willing, I will continue to do so. I will continue to fight until all who require treatment, regardless of where we were born and how we contracted the virus, have access not only to HIV/AIDS treatment, but to all health services. That to me is universal access—and that is a basic human right.

-Princess Kasune Zulu

The whole piece is worth a read. Excerpts below:

Rolina is HIV positive and is enrolled in the clinic’s PMTCT program. She and her husband Terrance married in 2002 and they have three children; Terrance is also HIV positive. Both Rolina and Terrance are doing everything in their power to ensure that little Brenda stays safe and healthy which is not the case for Brenda’s older sister Constance. Constance is 4 years old and HIV positive. Constance is on pediatric treatment which is keeping her strong. Their older brother Clayton does what he can at 7 years old to look after his two younger sisters.

Mother to child transmission (children from HIV positive mothers being infected during pregnancy or delivery) in Zambia is the second most important factor of transmission. PMTCT provides parents with hope but more importantly if the treatment is followed correctly it provides parents with a healthy child.

Terrance and Rolina are leaders in their community. They are open about their status in hopes of making a difference in other people lives. Terrance runs an HIV/AIDS couples support group in Keemba and sees 20-25 couples each week. Rolina adhering to the PMTCT program stopped breastfeeding Brenda at 6 months despite the statement this makes to the community. Mothers who bottle feed their child are questioned and sometimes frowned upon. But Rolina does not get discouraged because she knows that breastfeeding past 6 months increases the risk of her child becoming infected.