On June 18, 2025, the Dairy Training Institute (DTI) Naivasha held a stakeholder meeting to officially launch the Agrifood System & Entrepreneurship Consortium (ASEC) project under the TAGDev 2.0 program, Egerton University. The event, chaired by the Institute’s Principal and ASEC Team Leader, Mr. Abraham Biwott, brought together approximately 30 participants from diverse sectors, including government agencies, local cooperatives, community-based organizations, and private enterprises. The meeting served both as an introduction to the ASEC project and a strategic forum to explore collaborative pathways for achieving its core objectives, which include youth empowerment through dairy entrepreneurship, environmental sustainability, gender and social inclusion, and policy engagement for systemic impact.
The event attracted a wide and representative group of stakeholders from Naivasha, Gilgil, and Ol’joro-Orok sub-counties. Participants included departmental heads from DTI, officers from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Cooperatives at both county and national levels, representatives from the Kenya Dairy Board, Kenya Forestry Service, Sheep and Goat Station, and the Livestock Recording Centre, as well as local administrators such as area chiefs and Members of County Assembly (MCAs). Leaders from community organizations and private sector actors also attended, reflecting strong interest in the project’s inclusive development agenda. Organizations represented included Eagle’s Green Developers, Team Climate Change Naivasha, KAMWE CBO, Eden Thriving, Banadesh Women Group, Reno Agri-foods & Dairy Academy, Aim Far, Oljoro Foods Ltd, CAP Youth Empowerment Institute, Uhotani SACCO, and the Mai Mahiu Flood Victims Chairperson.
Discussions during the meeting revolved around five interlinked themes: youth inclusion, dairy entrepreneurship, environmental sustainability, gender and social inclusion, and policy engagement. They emphasized the need to strengthen youth participation in the dairy value chain through enterprise development, technical training, and mentorship. There was a shared recognition of the importance of adopting climate-smart dairy practices to enhance environmental resilience and sustainability. Gender and social inclusion were also strongly emphasized, with calls to ensure that women and marginalized groups are fully integrated into all phases of the project. Policy representatives highlighted the need to align ASEC activities with both local and national policy frameworks to enhance sustainability and institutional backing.
Beyond formal presentations, the event provided a space for open dialogue, visioning, and inter-sectoral collaboration. Stakeholders reflected on their potential roles and proposed concrete strategies to support DTI Naivasha in realizing the ASEC vision. By the end of the session they had established a strong foundation for partnership and expressed commitment to continued collaboration through technical support, knowledge exchange, and resource mobilization. The meeting concluded with a unified call to action to work together toward transforming the dairy sector using inclusive, innovative, and sustainable approaches.