In 2001 Magesa Munna
was running a garlic
paste and honey-processing
company in Tanzania
when she got a new idea
for a business. Why not
use the bananas in her
garden to make wine?
She started out small, with 40 liters of the homemade banana
wine, but soon her production was up to 100 liters a month.
By 2005 Munna’s winery, Kym’s Enterprises, was producing so
much wine–more than 2,000 liters each month – that she was
considering exporting her product. But she wasn’t sure how
to proceed.
In Ghana, Ama Lokko faced a different challenge. Her business,
Namas B. Company Limited, a retailer for liquefied petroleum
gas, had experienced dramatic growth since its start in 1999.
It operates three retail plant stations in Accra, a one-stop gas
assessories shop, and a door-to-door service for customers
unable to travel. But Lokko felt she needed better skills not
only to operate and manage the company’s growth but also
to mitigate regular and disruptive shortages of liquefied petroleum
in Ghana.
Along with business colleagues throughout the continent of
Africa, Munna and Lokko found help at the Ronald H. Brown
Institute (RBI), a business training and skills development center
in sub-Saharan Africa. Established in 2001 with a $5 million
grant from USAID, the RBI (named for the late U.S. secretary of
commerce) assists people and organizations in becoming more
effective in global business. The Robinson College of Business
and the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia
State led a consortium of U.S. and South African institutions
in the RBI, including the University of Pretoria, the Center for
Scientific and Industrial Research, and the University of Venda.
Robinson dean Fenwick Huss is a member of the RBI Board
of Directors.
The five-year anniversary of the RBI brought much for these
partners to celebrate. More than 23 countries have participated
in one of its initiatives, which include workshops,
internships, and an international leadership academy. During
the first phase of the institute, which ended in October 2004,
more than 230 people participated in workshops, with 41 percent
of the classes being women. More than 200 people from
13 countries completed four-month internships, receiving onthe-
job training. And approximately 160 people attended six
leadership academies held in South Africa, Ghana, and Malawi.
The momentum is continuing in phase two with internships in
human resources development, business promotion workshops
that link U.S. and African companies, and training seminars in
basic and advanced business simulations and entrepreneurship.
In fact, Munna completed one of these seminars in 2005, which
enabled her to develop a marketing strategy for selling her
banana wine in domestic and international markets.
The effort paid offrecently at the Tanzania Food Processors Trade Fair in Dar-es-Salaam, where she won first prize in display and
product packaging.
Office of Communications and External Affairs
Robinson College of Business,
Atlanta, Georgia 30303
Tel: 404-413-7080; Fax: 404-413-7076; E-mail: External Affairs
In 2001 Magesa Munna
was running a garlic
paste and honey-processing
company in Tanzania
when she got a new idea
for a business. Why not
use the bananas in her
garden to make wine?
She started out small, with 40 liters of the homemade banana
wine, but soon her production was up to 100 liters a month.
By 2005 Munna’s winery, Kym’s Enterprises, was producing so
much wine–more than 2,000 liters each month – that she was
considering exporting her product. But she wasn’t sure how
to proceed.
The five-year anniversary of the RBI brought much for these
partners to celebrate. More than 23 countries have participated
in one of its initiatives, which include workshops,
internships, and an international leadership academy. During
the first phase of the institute, which ended in October 2004,
more than 230 people participated in workshops, with 41 percent
of the classes being women. More than 200 people from
13 countries completed four-month internships, receiving onthe-
job training. And approximately 160 people attended six
leadership academies held in South Africa, Ghana, and Malawi.
