India ITME Society announces ITME AFRICA 2020- unique and exclusive business event with the theme “Prosperity for AFRICA through Textile Technology”. Set to initiate a revolution in generating employment, encouraging skill development, motivating entrepreneurship in Textiles, ushering investment, economic growth and thus bringing new aspirations for younger generation of African countries, 1st edition ITME Africa is to be held in Millennium Hall, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 14th to 16th February 2020.

Why Africa, Why Ethiopia? Despite an enormous untapped potential for trade expansion between India and Africa, India’s trade with Africa is concentrated in certain sectors and countries and is dominated by exports of primary commodities. While the potential for export diversification exists, it may not be realized without targeted intervention.

India is today the 2nd largest Textile industry globally and has a strong base in Textile engineering, thus is well-positioned as a partner to improve the productive and export capacities of Africa. With the growing importance of South-South cooperation, India’s expertise can be leveraged to build textile industry in Africa through the sharing of knowledge, technology and lessons learnt.

In this context, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland’s Department for International Development (DFID) mandated the International Trade Centre (ITC) to design and implement a project, called ‘Supporting India’s Trade Preferences for Africa’ (SITA) with specific objective of Increasing value of business transactions between India and selected African countries with the ultimate objective to create jobs and income opportunities. This initiative shall benefit East African businesses exporting to India, Indian companies importing from or investing in Africa and national trade and investment support institutions (TISIs). The give and take involves India, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, The United Republic of Tanzania.

India ITME Society, non-profit organisation with singlar objective of promoting Trade and Technology in Textile & Textile Engineering Industry has signed a MOU with International Trade Centre (ITC) & Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Associations (ECCSA), Ethiopia now towards this end.

In a first of its kind joint venture, India ITME Society and Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Association (ECCSA) a premier organization In Ethiopia, along with International Trade Center brings this unique and exclusive business facilitator opening up an entire continent of new opportunities.

Thus ITME AFRICA 2020 is supported by Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, Federal Republic of Ethiopia, Ethiopian Textile Development Institute and International Trade Centre as Trade & Investment partner.

Human life and history is intricately woven with Textiles, which was not just extension of our skin but also technology, more ancient than bronze and as contemporary as nanowire. The story of technology is in fact the story of textiles. From the most ancient times to the present story of economic development and global trade has textile at its core. As much as spices or gold, the quest for fabrics and dyestuffs drew sailors across strange seas,origins of chemistry lie in the coloring and finishing of cloth, the textile business funded the Italian Renaissance and the Mughal Empire. Most conspicuously, the Industrial Revolution started with the spinning jenny, the water frame, and the thread-producing mills in northern England that installed them. Before railroads or automobiles or steel mills, fortunes were made in textile technology.

In ways both subtle and obvious, textiles made our world. Its right tool to livelihood, prosperity, creativity for both genders, across cultures and geography weaving cultures, communities and nations together. That’s the base of ITME Africa 2020 - A signature event by India ITME Society. Not just creating business, but harmony and prosperity together.

History shows that textiles is one of the prime gateways for industrial development, as it played the major role in the industrial revolution of countries like India. Ethiopia being home to the African union has the potential to be the gateway to bring prosperity to Africa through textile and textile engineering products. This business exhibition shall showcase complete range of textile and textile engineering with a total of 27 chapters. 4 broad categories are covered Textiles, Textile Technology, Textile Engineering, Financial Institutions and allied segment. Showcasing complete spectrum ITME AFRICA hopes to be instrumental in establishing Africa’s textile footprints prominent globally.

ITME AFRICA 2020 is poised to be more than an event or an exhibition and propose to bring to table complete solutions to Textile industry development in the continent through affordable technology, International exposure, learning and experience, confluence of business houses, Investment opportunities, joint ventures, Access to Finance, Networking with technocrats, educators, thus paving way for a wave of knowledge, progress, growth and prosperity. Conceived and developed by India ITME Society ITME AFRICA is designed to serve as a gateway to all of Africa. This event shall bring multiple growth effects for not only to the textile industry but also the airlines, hotels, transport, tourism etc. and shall contribute to the development of the region in many ways.

With over 80 years of development and fastest growing economy in African continent, Ethiopia is showing potential to become Africa’s Textile and Apparel Hub. Also being seat of African Union and one of the major countries in the continent of Africa with growing textile industry, Ethiopia shall host this international event in 2020, strengthening its position as a pioneer in modernization its textile industry and positioning itself as a pivot for technology sourcing for Africa. And it hopes to be instrumental to make Africa’s textile presence more and prominent in the days to come.

We welcome you to this global event borne of friendship, aspiration and goodwill. ‘ITME AFRICA 2020’ is The Right Place & the Right Time To : Aspire – Compete – Explore.