Traditionally, Guinea’s rich, dark honey and honey by-products have rarely been marketed in Guinea, let alone internationally. USAID, through partner Winrock International, is helping beekeeping cooperatives in the Fouta Djalon highlands not only produce high-quality products, but also understand market demands and successfully commercialize their products, as Oumar Bah recounts below.
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Our collaboration with the USAID project helped us identify the weaknesses in our management, learn to manage a loan and our community savings, and showed us how to be more enterprising with our business.
- Oumar Bah, President of ADAM-Gui apiculture cooperative
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“My name is Oumar Bah, a biology engineer and the president of the Administrative Committee of ADAM-Gui apiculture cooperative, which produces and commercializes honey and honey by-products. Our collaboration with the USAID project helped us identify the weaknesses in our management, learn to manage a loan and our community savings, and showed us how to be more enterprising with our business.
“In working with the technical assistants, we’re starting to understand market demands, and have made good contacts with those in the private sector who are interested in honey and honey products like beeswax. In fact, we have already gotten contracts to clarify and filter beeswax and have earned more than $1,500.00 from this activity.
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| Commercialization of Beeswax in Guinea |
| Photo Credit: Laura Lartigue |
“The USAID project has also helped us form the Beekeeper’s Association of Fouta Djalon, of which we are now a member. Our plan is to develop the honey and beeswax sector in Guinea, and also look for international markets. With the support we’ve received to improve our business and locate markets for our products, we’re quite sure that Guinean honey will soon find its place in the global market.”
See related story on USAID/Guinea web site: Peace Corps, USAID Introduce Improved Beekeeping Practices in Guinea
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