On 29th August 2025, the Agri-food System Entrepreneurship Consortium (ASEC) Project at Dairy Training Institute (DTI) conducted a one-day training on cooperative governance and leadership to UHOTANI SACCO leaders convened at their SACCO building in Ol Joro Orok. 
The training was aimed at strengthening capacity in financial management, accountability, and inclusivity, areas that are critical to the sustainability of cooperatives. With a membership of 234 individuals, UHOTANI SACCO plays an important role in promoting savings and credit access among its members, making governance improvement central to its growth. Through open discussions, participants reflected on practices already in place and explored better approaches to governance, particularly in financial reporting, accountability, and creating more inclusive structures that embrace women and marginalized groups.

The Dairy Training Institute (DTI), as an implementing partner of the ASEC Project, joined other institutions at the ASEC Partners’ Meeting held on 19th August 2025 at Egerton University’s TAGDev Center. The meeting formed part of the National Research Festival 2025 and provided a vibrant platform for partners to reflect on achievements, challenges, and lessons learned in implementing the ASEC Project.

Participants included representatives from Egerton University (TAGDev team), Karatina University, Embu University, Pwani University, Baraka Agricultural Training College, Nyandarua National Polytechnic, and DTI. The meeting featured opening reflections from TAGDev leadership and RUFORUM, partner presentations, and a session on financial accountability.
DTI’s presentation highlighted its four-year (2025–2029) partnership project with Egerton University, targeting Gilgil, Naivasha, and Ol Jororok.

Egerton University is one of the 12 African Universities implementing Transforming African Agricultural Universities to Meaningfully Contribute to Africa’s Growth and Development (TAGDev 2.0) program for the period between 2023-2033. TAGDev 2.0 is a collaboration program between Mastercard Foundation, the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM), the Global Confederation of Higher Education Associations for Agricultural and Life Sciences (GCHERA), and 12 African universities. This transformative initiative is designed to equip and empower young women and men and their institutions to foster inclusive, equitable, and resilient socio-economic development within their communities. To achieve this goal, TAGDev Program has partnered with the university in reviewing and developing policies aimed at enhancing a conducive environment for the delivery of transformative education.