The Mauritius pavilion was the first thing visitors saw as they entered the exhibition hall at Source Africa 2013. Upon hearing of the planned Source Africa event last year, Enterprise Mauritius (EM) immediately booked this prime spot and set out to gather 40 Mauritian producers to showcase their skill and capacity to leading South African retailers such as Foschini, Woolworths, Ackerman, Pep, Mr Price, and Polo.
"Our strategy is to project Mauritius as a preferred sourcing destination for trade and business for the South African business community," explains Geerish Bucktowonsing, textile and apparel sector manager at EM, the national export promotion agency.
Kevin Burke, president and CEO of the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA), which partnered with the Trade Hub for Source Africa 2013, recently remarked on the strong participation of African apparel and footwear companies at the MAGIC trade show in Las Vegas in February. This followed AAFA's 2012 Annual Executive Summit, where the former COO and senior vice president of Wal-Mart Global Procurement and CEO of the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textile and Apparel, Edwin Keh, pronounced that for the next ten years it seems certain that apparel sourcing solutions lie further and further afield in places like Africa.
With 1,401 participants, 170 exhibitors and 36 buyers from local and international retailers, Source Africa 2013 was a resounding success.
Better Work Lesotho, an initiative of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), is working with garment and footwear factories in the country to improve their compliance with labor standards and promote their competitiveness in the apparel sector, in Lesotho and globally. Better Work Lesotho is funded by the United States Department of Labor, and is part of the ILO's Decent Work Country Program, which works to reduce poverty by sustaining decent work opportunities in Lesotho. Since its launch in December 2010, 24 factories—representing 58% of the country's garment and footwear establishments and about 70% of the sector's workforce—have joined Better Work Lesotho.
According to experts in the industry, trade shows are the #1 way to gain new business, making the Source Africa event in Cape Town, South Africa from April 9-12 a tremendous opportunity for suppliers in the region. However, experts also know that success at trade shows requires more than just showing up. To prepare exhibitors for Source Africa, the USAID Southern Africa Trade Hub conducted a Supplier Training Program in Lesotho, Mozambique and Botswana.
The USAID Southern Africa Trade Hub has provided a grant of US$100,000 to Capstone Seeds SA (PTY) to accelerate commercial access to drought-tolerant hybrid maize seed in Malawi. Capstone, an independent South African seed company, will now enter into a joint venture with Peacock Enterprises Ltd of Malawi to multiply and market "CAP9001" in Malawi.This variety was developed specifically with the needs of the region in mind, to address productivity and maximize yield potential in small scale, rain-fed, drought-vulnerable farming systems. Approximately 80 metric tons of certified hybrid seed maize will be produced through this grant project. This grant not only supports the production of 80 metric tons of new hybrid seed in Malawi, but also pairs independent seed companies in South Africa and Malawi to bring new seed products to the market effectively
The Trade Hub explained the purpose of AGOA—to give African countries market access—and the wide range of sectors targeted towards that goal: 6,400 products from textiles to agriculture to luggage to automotive parts. To date AGOA has created 300,000 jobs, primarily in the textiles and apparel sector.
What makes Source Africa a destination event attracting thousands of participants from around the globe? The beauty of Cape Town's beaches is far from the only draw. Source Africa is designed to showcase the best in textiles and apparel that Africa has to offer, giving the world a first-hand look at the quality, workmanship and creativity available in the region.
In October 2012 and January 2013, the Trade Hub offered gender integration workshops to its staff to provide a foundation in gender concepts and guidance on USAID's Gender Equality and Female Empowerment Policy. Twenty-three staff members (11 female and 12 male) received gender integration training to date, helping to answer the question: What is gender integration and why does it matter? Here are some of the concepts shared in the training:
Activities