On October 15-22, the city of Cotonou recognized Local Consumption Month, an initiative of the Beninese Government led by the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
For this sixth edition of the annual fair at the Etoile Rouge, IFDC and its partners from the Communal Approach to the Agricultural Market in Benin – Phase 3 (ACMA3) program supported fifteen stakeholders—agrifood processors, suppliers, and startups—from the departments of Borgou, Donga, and Collines.
“Fairs are mechanisms where producers, processors, buyers, and service providers can meet to build mutually beneficial relationships…[and] to access the services and goods they need to develop their entrepreneurial activities.”
Ousmane Ouedraogo, ACMA3 Chief of Party
Officially launched by Minister of Industry and Trade Shadiya Assouma, the Local Consumption Month fair promoted local products, created commercial opportunities, and strengthened ties between producers, processors, and consumers.
All sectors promoted by the ACMA3 program, including maize, soy, poultry, and more, were represented at the event, with a variety of innovative processed agrifood products that are rooted in local expertise.
Beyond promoting good agricultural practices, IFDC, as an event sponsor through ACMA3, sought to help producers at the fair find intermediaries to sell their products.
“Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) involved in the processing and marketing of food products are a valuable resource for us. We put them in touch with producers, who can sell their agricultural products to them… The SMEs then process them and make the products available to consumers,” explained Adodo Abalo, IFDC Country Director for Benin and Togo.
ACMA3 Chief of Party Ousmane Ouedraogo described the importance of fairs and exhibitions like the Local Consumption Month event: “Fairs are mechanisms where producers, processors, buyers, and service providers can meet to build mutually beneficial relationships with each other, but also to access the services and goods they need to develop their entrepreneurial activities.”
IFDC’s goal was clear—and successfully achieved: to ensure that SMEs left the fair with concrete orders, enabling them to increase raw material purchases from local producers. As producers in turn grow more satisfied and confident, local development becomes not just an aspiration, but a reality.
The Communal Approach to the Agricultural Market in Benin (ACMA) program, financed by the Embassy of the Netherlands in Benin since 2013, is implemented by the International Fertilizer Development Center (IFDC) in a consortium with CARE International Benin and KIT.
