Infrastructure and Entrepreneurship Chez Nakamtenga is growing
Lunch in a bustling African capital? A quick break for urban office workers?
Actually, rather the opposite. This is “restaurang-skolan”, the training ground for chefs and nutritional knowledge and efficient use of available local food products in Nakamtenga. So how come this most rural settlement, dominated by small scale farming, may provide also such a photo?
It is about creative ideas to develop vocational training and income generation. Which in turn is the necessary precondition to convince young people that they do have a future here, that they do not need to add to Africa’s uncontrolled urbanization.
”The aim is to build a foundation for entrepreneurship and innovative thinking around food” – as the Yennenga Progress idea is formulated on the web site of Toftaholms Herrgård, an estate with 600 years of history, turned into a charming country hotel by a lake in Småland, near the main thoroughfare E4.
Since 2017, Toftaholm supports the combined training venue and restaurant. Which by the way is near one of Burkina Faso’s main roads. With the help of Toftaholm, the restaurant has gone from this
to the crowded venue shown below. Toftaholm’s donations also have secured a modern kitchen. Not surprisingly, choosing a restaurant school as a beneficiary came most natural when the hotel wanted to become involved in a development project, says the hotel’s owner and CEO since 3,5 years, Pelle Hjortblad:
- We have expanded rapidly in recent years, received a lot of local media attention and been appointed “society entrepreneur of the year” by Ljungby district. Being linked to an activity like the Nakamtenga programme is very important for our growing image. It does build confidence and pride also internally among our staff.
