Source Africa, now in its second year provides a platform for African manufacturers to connect with both international and intra-regional buyers. The annual pan-African textile, clothing and footwear trade event on the international calendar is designed to reveal that African textile, apparel & footwear manufacturers can compete on price, quality and standards. The event is set to attract more international interest.

The event will bring together African manufacturers from across the continent with regional and international buyers enabling buyers to examine a wide array of products and services in one efficient trip.

The event encourages links between buyers, manufacturers and suppliers, supporting investment into manufacturing capacity in Africa and accelerating job creation for many years to come.

One of the most interesting opportunities for manufacturers is the trade advantage that African states enjoy, with duty-free exports to the US under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) as well as a similar arrangement with the EU.

Africa is not only developing as a manufacturer to countries abroad, but its own economies are undergoing robust growth and the consumer market is going from strength to strength.

The opening of event will be done by Steve Lamar, Executive Vice-President of the American Apparel and Footwear Association and a number of key industry leaders such as Mercedes Gonzalez, Director of Global Purchasing Companies and Sascha Breuss, Managing Director and CEO of Zando will also be talking on a range of industry issues such as attracting foreign sourcing and navigating trade policy.

The exhibitor list currently includes manufacturers from countries such as South Africa, Mauritius, Egypt, Madagascar, Botswana, Tanzania, Lesotho, Swaziland, Uganda, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Cote D’Ivoire. Buyers are travelling from the US, Canada, Europe, Asia, UK, Russia and UAE.

By bringing together manufacturers from 18 African countries and buyers from the region, the event encourages intra-regional trade. Source Africa event will be taking place on Thursday 19 June & Friday 20 June at the CTICC in Cape Town.