Nigeria

When Endurance Boms first opened her small beauty shop in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, she struggled to keep track of her sales and inventory. Then, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, her sales slowed to a crawl. A TechnoServe program gave Endurance the business training and support she needs to achieve success as a Nigerian entrepreneur. Now, she can confidently maintain a reliable income source – even during a global crisis.

This World Food Day, we spoke with Dr. Andreas Bluethner, Director of Nutrition at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to discuss how COVID-19 is threatening nutrition in the developing world – and how interventions such as improved food fortification can help tackle this critical challenge.

In Nigeria, nearly half the tomato harvest is lost before ever reaching consumers. Promoting the domestic cottage processing sector has the potential to significantly decrease post-harvest loss while also improving farmer livelihoods and increasing food security for vulnerable communities.

A survey of food processing firms in seven African countries reveals the challenges facing the sector during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read the results from TechnoServe's survey of 337 micro-retail program participants about the impact COVID-19 has had on their businesses.

TechnoServe surveyed 106 food processors, representing seven countries in Africa, on the impact of COVID-19 on their operations. This survey presents our findings.

TechnoServe offers a guide on the challenges and responses facing food processors during the COVID-19 pandemic, based on a survey of 106 food processors from seven African countries.