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USAID/Mali Exposure – Preserving Food and Preserving Lives

This blog was originally published by USAID/Mali on Exposure on May 31, 2023.

Diakité Mariam Diarra is a food processing entrepreneur from Koutiala, Mali, who grew up helping her mother produce and sell homemade natural juices. 

“I decided to continue my mother’s passion for food processing,” said Diarra. “But, my experience remained basic until 2014 when I first received training from the Support Fund for Vocational Training and Apprenticeship.”

She leveraged what she learned to expand her local marketing, begin sending products to Mali’s capital, Bamako, and explore export opportunities through the International Fair for Agriculture and Animal Resources in the neighboring country of Senegal. 

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