San Francisco, CA – MLIFE, a nonprofit organization based in San Francisco with centers in Nairobi, Kenya, and Accra, Ghana, announced plans to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the County Government of Muranga to market Kenyan coffee in the U.S. market. The announcement came after a series of meetings between MLIFE officials and high-ranking officials of the Muranga county government, including the Deputy Governor, Stephen Munania, and Speaker of the County Assembly, Johnson Mukuha. 

The MOU between the county government of Muranga allows MLIFE to provide capacity-building for Technical and Vocational Education Training Centers (TVET) through information communication technology, allowing MFLIE to enhance the capacity of young farmers to produce and market Kenya’s coffee in the international market. “We believe passionately as a Foundation that technology will be the gateway way for Africa to progress and prosper,” said MLIFE’s founder, Mwangi Mukami, adding, “We have seen through research and through China’s rise in economic power that technology can help Kenya jump from being an emerging economy without necessarily going through the industrial revolution but directly to the information age.” 

Mr. Munania said the county government had set aside 1,200 acres to promote new industries and spur investment in Muranga county. “I do believe through this collaboration that we have begun today that we have the opportunity to enhance the livelihoods of our young people in this county,” said the Deputy Governor. 

MLIFE’s entry into the coffee sector is part of the organization’s efforts to support regenerative agriculture in Kenya in the last two years to end hunger and increase the quality of life for rural youths. Although coffee was once Kenya’s leading foreign exchange earner, a rise in the cost of inputs, production, and reduced prices has led to a decline in production to 50,000 metric tonnes per annum from 130,000 per annum in the 1980s.

Coffee remains the backbone of many farmers in Muranga county, and MLIFE’s capacity-building efforts will impact 5,000 young farmers in the first year alone. MLIFE will kickstart the pilot project in the Kahumbu ward. Isaac ‘Chefman’ Njoroge, the area member of the county assembly, said, “We are honored to host the pilot project, and we hope it will pave the way for other leaders to develop incubation centers to teach young farmers agroecology and prepare them for a market that’s not necessarily Kenyan.”

Last year, MLIFE, through the financial support of the Rugged Elegance Foundation, launched pilot projects in the regenerative field in Accra, Ghana, and secured a $100,000 investment for True Moringa, a U.S.-based for-profit company operating in Ghana from social entrepreneurs and philanthropists, Jennifer Carolyn King, and Timothy Charles Fredel. This year, True Moringa is on target to double its revenue — mainly in the U.S.— to $2 million.

MLIFE believes that regenerative agriculture training and support will increase food production in Africa by lessening poverty, improving wellness through healthy food, and decreasing inequality for under-resourced groups, especially women and rural youths. 

MLIFE is a US 501(c)3 faith-based charitable organization that supports children to read and write, youths to lead and thrive, and families to meet their basic needs. 

Website: https://mlifefoundation.org 

Contact Mwangi Mukami: 650.713.3057