Online registration for Shea 2012: Shared Value now open!

Online registration for Shea 2012: Shared Value is now open! More than 350 stakeholders across the industry and spanning the globe will be on hand for the event in Cotonou, Benin, from April 23-27 at the Marina Hotel.  The event begins with training workshops targeting West African Shea exporters. High-level VIPs from across West Africa will open the conference on April 25. The General Assembly of the Global Shea Alliance members will set the Alliance’s agenda – promotion of Shea worldwide, establishing of quality standards and advocacy to promote the industry. A business-to-business forum will match companies to explore exciting opportunities. The last day is dedicated to field trips to industry sites across Benin. Register today for Shea 2012: Shared Value. www.globalshea.com/shea2012

Congressional delegation reviews work of USAID Trade Hub during visit to Ghana

Six U.S. Senators and a U.S. Representative reviewed activities to increase exports from West Africa undertaken by the USAID Trade Hub and met exporters to hear about their challenges during a visit to Ghana in January. USAID Trade Hub Director Vanessa Adams presented the Trade Hub’s work to the congressional delegation. The senators expressed support for Trade Hub activities as they reviewed efforts to reduce the costs of transport, improve access to finance and improve the business environment.

Bono discusses trade with exporters in Mali

Bono, the international pop star and leader of the ONE campaign to eliminate poverty, and Renzo Rosso founder Diesel and Only the Brave, discussed issues affecting West African exporters’ competitiveness in world markets with USAID Trade Hub Director Vanessa Adams during visit in a mud cloth demonstration Mali in January facilitated by the USAID Trade Hub. See full story. View the photo album of the visit.

George Washington University MBA students visit USAID Trade Hub

Executive MBA students from George Washington University learned more about issues affecting the shea, cashew and apparel industries in West Africa during a visit to the USAID Trade Hub in January. The students asked questions about certification program opportunities and constraints as well as the Trade Hub’s work in targeted value chains and about issues in transport and finance that exporters confront daily.

AfricaNow! affiliates set to display West African products at international trade shows

10 affiliates of AfricaNow! will display products from companies in the network during the New York International Gift Fair, January 28 to February 2. AfricaNow! Will present the network in a showcase booth in the entrance of the handmade section. AfricaNow! Connects buyers to producers and with product development support across West Africa. www.africa-now.org

Cote d'Ivoire reduces taxes on truck purchases

The Government of Cote d’Ivoire is eliminating taxes and reducing duties levied on the import of new trucks, following a recommendation of the USAID Trade Hub. Value Added Tax on new trucks will be eliminated and import duties decrease, the government’s Minster of Finance announced in January.  The changes are expected to drive new investment – and help replace the aging fleet of trucks on Cote d’Ivoire’s roads and highways. Old trucks are less fuel efficient and more prone to breakdowns, adding to the costs of trucking and leading to significant delays and omissions.

Border Information Center resolves problems for traders

The Border Information Center launched by the Ghana Shippers’ Authority, the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor Organization and the USAID Trade Hub resolved an harassment claim presented by a group of traders, scoring another success in the fight to reduce delays and harassment at the Ghana-Togo border. In the incident, a shipment of peppers was held up and suffered some loss due to the delay. Further delay could have destroyed the entire shipment, but the center’s staff resolved the dispute involving a demand for closer inspection by a police officer. The center is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Aflao and Kodjoviakope, in Ghana and Togo respectively. Traders can call 18179 (a toll-free call for MTN customers) for assistance in Ghana and +228 940 43 59 in Togo.

USAID Trade Hub releases new study of transport costs on Lome-Ouagadougou Corridor

Using containers for transit goods in West Africa would reduce costs and delays, says a new Trade Hub report on transport costs on the Lome to Ouagadougou corridor. Promoting the use of containers, in particular for transit traffic, will help to reduce the time cargo sits in ports as well as ensure better protection against cargo theft, loss and damage. Containerization will also help to limit overloading of trucks, promoting road safety and reducing damage to road infrastructure. The recommendation appears in the USAID Trade Hub’s new comprehensive study of transport costs on the Lome-Ouagadougou corridor, based on interviews with dozens of stakeholders in Burkina Faso and Togo. West Africa has some of the highest transport costs in the world and the uncertainty in delivery of goods, whether imports or exports, discourages investment. The full report is available here (LINK).