Optimizing sesame sales and professionalizing governance and financial management Selam union has been enrolled in the C4C capacity building program since 2013. With C4C support, the union has been showning good progress in different aspects for the past years. Major highlights: The union member cooperatives increased from 23 to 39 PC, the union sesame collection capacity increased from year to year, the union staff got export marketing knowledge and the union have started exporting sesame to Chinese and Israeli buyers, awareness creation discussion platform was organized in different time in order to strengthened the PCs and union’s relationship. In addition to these, 5 year strategic plan was developed for the union and validated by all stakeholders and now it is being implemented, internal capital mobilization awareness created at the union and PC level and the union collected around 1 million birr from its members, five professional PC managers have been recruited. Furthermore, key staff have been recruited at the union level (like marketing manager, agronomist and HR manager), the union participated in different international and national annual workshops and promoted itself to international buyers, the union staffs trained and coached on making bankable business pan preparation and they have got the experience to develop a sound bankable business plan. However, the union still has some challenges that need improvement; shortage of working capital, more than 14 million birr unpaid loan, the union and its member PCs are in loss, serious shortage cash, members farmers shortage of input finance, poor governance and leadership practice at the union and the PC level, manual financial record keeping system, poor agronomic practice, weak relationship between the union and PCs and poor market price information collection and documentation system.

The overall objective of this action plan is to help the union to rescue from collapse due shortage of working capital, bad sesame market in 2015 and support the union to collect 10, 000 quintal sesame in 2016 marketing season. Therefore the 2016 action plan will specifically focus on: Strengthening the governance and leadership capacity of the union board and management Mobilizing 1 million Birr equity capital from member PCs and member farmers Professionalize the PCs management by hiring qualified managers Automating the unions financial management practices  Increasing the farmers access to input finance Improving the sesame producing farmers agronomic practice, boosting the union sesame production and marketing volume Developing transparent market price communication system between the union and PCs

The overall objective of this action plan is to help the union to rescue from collapse due shortage of working capital, bad sesame market in 2015 and support the union to collect 10, 000 quintal sesame in 2016 marketing season. Therefore the 2016 action plan will specifically focus on:-Strengthening the governance and leadership capacity of the union board and management-Mobilizing 1 million Birr equity capital from member PCs and member farmers-Professionalize the PCs management by hiring qualified managers-Automating the unions financial management practices -Increasing the farmers access to input finance-Improving the sesame producing farmers agronomic practice, boosting the union sesame production and marketing volume-Developing transparent market price communication system between the union and PCs. The overall objective of this action plan is to help the union to rescue from collapse due shortage of working capital, bad sesame market in 2015 and support the union to collect 10, 000 quintal sesame in 2016 marketing season. Therefore the 2016 action plan will specifically focus on:-Strengthening the governance and leadership capacity of the union board and management-Mobilizing 1 million Birr equity capital from member PCs and member farmers-Professionalize the PCs management by hiring qualified managers-Automating the unions financial management practices -Increasing the farmers access to input finance-Improving the sesame producing farmers agronomic practice, boosting the union sesame production and marketing volume-Developing transparent market price communication system between the union and PCs