Matṧeliso Phulane
Culinary training company Africa Job Creation Opportunities will tomorrow hold this year’s first food processing and preservation training at Maseru Day High School.
Africa Job Creation Opportunities PTY LTD was established in 2022 with the aim of training people in manufacturing different products and repackaging in order to create jobs.
People are taught how to preserve a variety of fruits and vegetables, how to make dairy products such as cheese, yoghurt, peanut butter and sweets.
In a recent interview with theReporter, the trainer of Africa Job Creation Opportunities, Motlatsi Shale said: “The ultimate goal of the training is for Basotho to have high production of fruit trees mostly peaches, so the aim is for them to be trained on how to preserve them because our motto is ‘no peaches should be thrown away because that is money they are throwing away’.
“The training includes how to run a business; how to make products in order for them to go and start their manufacturing businesses, either small or big businesses depending on their financial muscle,” he noted.
The establishment of Africa Job Creation Opportunities was inspired by low employment rate in Lesotho and the fact that the country imports everything found in shops, including commodities that Basotho are capable of producing.
According to Shale, the most notable challenge that fruits and vegetable traders have to contend with is poor packaging capacity which is important in this line of business involving commodities with a short shelve life.
Insufficient capital is another challenge.
“Participants will be trained on how to make jam and advised on peach canning methods required in the commercial space. The training includes labelling as well as storage methods such as refrigeration.
“They will also learn how to make dried fruits, especially peaches, in a safe and hygienic manner,” Shale indicated.
He added that besides peaches, there are other products that they will be trained on preserving green peppers, green beans and potatoes. Trainees will learn more about how to make frozen vegetables.
Shale said the training has already been done in Maseru, Teyateyaneng, Leribe, as well as Botha Bothe, Mafeteng, Mohale’s Hoek and Quthing.
He added that the company is steadily growing and making inroads beyond the boundaries of Lesotho, having held similar training session in Swaziland and Botswana. Administration fee is M 150 and people can contact him at +266 59504356 for more information.
