On Monday, 2 June 2025, the International Center for Promotion of Enterprises (ICPE) signed cooperation contracts that inaugurate the project “Reduction of Antibiotics Use in Farming Practices in East Africa with a Technology Transfer and Pilot Project in Kenya.” The initiative is financially supported by the Directorate for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia. The event, held in Nairobi, Kenya marked the beginning of cooperation between ICPE, Jafral d.o.o., a Slovenian biotechnology company delivering bacteriophage expertise and the University of Nairobi, which hosts and implements the research locally.
The signing ceremony was graced by the presence of the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Her Excellency Dr Nataša Pirc Musar, whose attendance underscored Slovenia’s commitment to international development cooperation.
The project will commence on 20 June 2025 and continue for twenty-four months. Throughout its duration the consortium will transfer bacteriophage-based technology to the University of Nairobi, reinforce local research capacity and pilot a sustainable biological solution to bacterial diseases in tomatoes, thereby reducing dependency on antibiotics in Kenyan horticulture. Laboratory and field activities will proceed in successive, pre-defined phases under a structured work plan and will be monitored through periodic technical and financial reviews agreed with the donor. Upon completion, a locally optimised phage preparation will be available for further regulatory advancement, laying the groundwork for safer, more sustainable vegetable production in the region.
ICPE and its partners gratefully acknowledge the Directorate for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia for the financial support that makes this project possible.
