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From left, Dr. Youssef Mikou, director general of Alf Sahel (Morocco’s largest feed mill), Anouar Tahiri, president of the Animal Feed Mill Association of Morocco, NARA’s Dana Johnson Downing and Matthew Meredith of LixCap, launched an important collaboration in Morocco with the first signing of an MOU in December.
All About Africa
NARA’s collaboration with stakeholders in Africa has the potential to open up fresh markets for rendered products, generating a win-win outcome as new imports of U.S. fat and protein could help grow pet food, livestock and aquaculture industries in the region.
BWy Sharla Ishmael
hen U.S. renderers think of thriving export markets, countries like Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia and Côte d’Ivoire don’t make the list — at least not today. That is likely to change if the North American
Renderers Association’s market development efforts in Africa over the past couple of years continue to gain momentum.
NARA has worked for years trying to get traction in Africa, but recent funding increases have allowed the association to get a local presence on the ground in Morocco to cultivate relationships with industry and government officials, offer technical assistance programs and collaborate on updating regulations that currently prevent most trading of rendered products to these countries.
“We’re not new to Africa,” says Kent Swisher, NARA president and CEO. “Initially, we had some funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Emerging Markets Program that were designated specifically for North and West Africa. But what we’ve needed for a long time is a person in country and now we have that thanks to USDA’s Regional Agriculture Promotion Program funding. That allowed us to hire a consultant with offices in Morocco — Matthew Meredith of
8 August 2025 Render
LixCap. He’s doing a great job building on our past efforts, taking NARA’s market development programs to a new level in Morocco, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal and Tunisia with eyes on more countries in the near future.
“Today, Africa is what Southeast Asia was 20 to 30 years ago in terms of potential for rendered products,” Swisher adds. “Southeast Asia is now the biggest market that we have. In Africa, we’re in the early stages of market development. Some of these countries have smaller markets, but together they add up. Africa is where the growth is now, both from a population standpoint and also an expanding middle class.”
Out of the $6.3 million USDA awarded NARA through RAPP funding, $1.6 million is specifically earmarked for Africa. In addition to in-country meetings and engagement, the funding will also support hosting delegations from these potential trading partners, according to Dana Johnson Downing, NARA’s senior vice president of international programs. Market Access Program funding also helps NARA staff travel to the region for trade missions in Africa.
In December, Downing went to Morocco to meet with key stakeholders, a visit that culminated in the signing of a
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