Skip to main content

Building a More Responsive Packaging Ecosystem

in the United Republic of Tanzania
27th July to 7th August

What makes a product stand out on the shelf? For avocado and spice SMEs, the answer increasingly includes "packaging". Better packaging, however, does not happen in isolation; SMEs need access to packaging suppliers who understand their requirements and can be responsive to their needs.

From 27th July to August 7th, EU-EAC MARKUP II ran two series of trainings addressing exactly this: strengthening how SMEs think about packaging, and strengthening the manufacturers and suppliers who produce them.

From Product to Market: Training SMEs on Packaging

Tanzanian avocado and spice SMEs were selected to strengthen their understanding of packaging as a means to enhance product quality, branding, customer confidence and market competitiveness.

The training was highly interactive, combining practical learning, discussion and exchange between SMEs, followed by individual coaching to help businesses turn ideas into concrete improvements.

As a result of the training, participants are now looking at their packaging not simply as a container, but as part of the customer product experience that can help access new markets. Through this training, Tanzanian spice and avocado SMEs have committed to placing packaging at the center of competitiveness.

Feedback from the training shows that participants are already thinking about practical changes; improving labels, strengthening branding, using better-quality packaging materials, improving presentation, and making their products more competitive.

Building a More Responsive Packaging Ecosystem:
Training the Suppliers

Packaging upgrades on the SME front only represent one half of the equation. SMEs cannot upgrade their packaging in isolation; they need access to packaging suppliers who understand their requirements, can provide appropriate solutions, respond efficiently, and support them as their businesses grow.

To address this, MARKUP II launched a Continuous Improvement Training programme for packaging manufacturers and suppliers in Tanzania. The three-day programme brought together seven packaging companies to deepened their understanding and practicalapplication of Continuous Improvement and Operational Excellence approaches, with a particular focus on how these capabilities can help suppliers improve efficiency, quality and responsiveness when supporting SMEs directly.

Learning from the Factory Floor

A key highlight of the Continuous Improvement Training, was a site visit to Five Star Limited, one of the largest packaging suppliers in Tanzania. Participants observed quality packaging manufacturing operations in practice, discussed production processes, and identified opportunities for improvement.

This visit served as an important bridge for the participants connecting theory and application through the opportunity to observe real manufacturing operations.

Building a Regional Model

Tanzania marks the start of a regional series of Continuous Improvement Training for packaging manufacturers and suppliers under MARKUP II. This training will be rolled out across the region over the next few months:

  • Rwanda – August 2026
  • Uganda – August 2026
  • Kenya – September 2026
  • Burundi – September 2026
  • South Sudan – September 2026

This initiative reflects a broader MARKUP II approach; by investing in the capabilities of packaging manufacturers and suppliers themselves, MARKUP II is helping to strengthen the wider ecosystem that enables SMEs to improve their packaging and compete more effectively in regional and international markets.

A competitive SME sector needs a packaging ecosystem that can respond to its needs