Kilishi, a Secular Product with a Strong Identity in the Lake Chad Region: Opportunities for Differentiated Development of a Product with High Economic Potential

Kilishi, a dried meat made from strips of meat seasoned with a cocktail of ingredients, represents one of the forms of meat preservation traditionally practiced in the savannah areas of Africa. This foodstuff, highly prized for its organoleptic qualities, has a market potential estimated at 40 billion FCFA in the Lake Chad region if technological, normative and marketing improvements are made. The present work was initiated with the aim of presenting the market potential of kilishi and its variants (powder, sticks, stuffing, and aroma) in the Lake Chad region, beyond the artisanal nature of their production system and the various associated constraints. With a herd of around 80 million cattle, the Lake Chad region doesn't really benefit from the attractions of this potential in terms of value chains driven by meat and dairy processing, despite the fact that for every 1 FCFA spent on meat, the kilishi producer generates 2.5 FCFA in kilishi sales. There are around 700 kilishi producers in the countries of the Lake Chad region, and a number of scientific studies have focused on the traditional kilishi-making process, with particular emphasis on the relationship between process and product quality. For the most part, these studies are based on the technical and market constraints facing the kilishi production system, and propose directions for the development of the industry, in terms of optimizing process factors and improving product quality for markets. The study revealed that meat unwound (<5 Kg.h⁻¹), was the major constraint of the production process and the essential component of the kilishi production know-how, which could be eliminated by laminating and reconstituting lamellae. Implementing and mastering the results of this research will lead to innovative initiatives in the creation of resilient production units and job niches. These globally mechanized, environmentally-friendly units would run entirely on solar energy, with domes and tunnels for drying, coating, grilling and packaging, improving productivity and reducing production time from 3 days to 4 hours at the height of sunshine, for a daily processing capacity of 200 kg of meat. The dome will contribute to the hygienic and organoleptic quality of the kilishi, enhancing its market value. All this justifies concrete action to facilitate the emergence of a new typology of very small enterprises.