The inauguration event of the partnership established between CNH - Case New Holland, a leading international brand in the field of agriculture machinery, and Gaalooge, a Somali agro-cooperative group based in Baidoa, was held at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in Mogadishu on 23 November 2021.

The partnership, originally signed in July 2021 as a first-of-its-kind business dealership agreement in the recent history of the agroindustry sector of Somalia, was also facilitated thanks to the business matchmaking assistance provided by UNIDO ITPO Italy in the framework of the project “Agro-technology development for economic growth in South and Central Somalia”, funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) and implemented by UNIDO, with the goal of fostering inclusive and sustainable industrial development of the sector in the country.

UNIDO provided Gaalooge with critical entrepreneurship development support through the Enterprise Development Unit in Baidoa, hosted by the South West State Chamber of Commerce and Industry, as well as with access to finance through the credit facility established by UNIDO and powered by IBS Bank. The whole negotiation was strongly facilitated through the business matchmaking assistance provided by UNIDO ITPO Italy and the support of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry of the Federal Government of Somalia.