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Related Keywords: AGOA, anti-dumping measures, cotton farming, cotton sector, EPZ textile companies, Kenyan textile industry, labour intensive value chain, liberalisation policies, mitumba, Rivatex, second hand clothes, WTO

Kenyan textile industry was flourishing in the 1980s before the influx of ‘mitumba’ into the country. Companies such as Rivatex offered jobs and clothed Kenyans in new clothes while Cotton farming in Nyanza and Western gave farmers a livelihood and provided cotton for the sector. This labour intensive value chain employed many Kenyans and significantly contributed to the fiscal revenue through taxes payable by the companies. Liberalisation policies followed a short while later and killed the sector.

Related Keywords: AGOA, Dignity DTRT company, focus on finished products, Ghana textile industry, Ghanaian cotton industry, international market, raw material base

Ghanaian cotton industry which serves as the raw material base, is already receiving an appreciable measure of attention, and so government now plans to extend its focus to finished products.

The government to enable Ghanaian manufacturing companies take advantage of the growing opportunities in the international market is now targeting to increase investment in the textile industry, said President John Dramani Mahama during his familiarization visit to Dignity DTRT company, a garment production company in Accra yesterday.

Related Keywords: African exports, African leaders, AGOA, duty-free access, trade benefits program, US-Africa summit

South African President Jacob Zuma, is leading a major charge by the government and business at the US-Africa summit in Washington this week to win renewal of African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) when it expires next year.
 
USA being urged to renew a trade benefits program giving duty-free access to billions of dollars of African exports for 15 years. As almost 95 percent of South African exports receive preferential treatment under AGOA.