Business
Apparel stakeholders in Ghana, including manufacturers, buyers, government officials, banks and technical experts, outlined a plan to address their sector’s challenges with assistance from the USAID Trade Hub during a two-day workshop in Accra. Ghana possesses significant advantages – thanks to its AGOA eligibility – to compete in the international apparel industry. The meeting was organized by Ghana’s Ministry of Trade and Industry. www.agoatoolkit.com

The African Cashew Alliance has received a $232,000 grant from USAID. The new grant will help the ACA deliver technical assistance and launch the ACA quality and sustainability seal, a program that will help processors implement and document compliance with international food safety, quality and labor standards in their factories. Since its inception in 2006, the Alliance’s activities have directly led to a doubling of cashew processing in West Africa, creating thousands of jobs, mainly for young women. The Alliance was co-founded by the USAID Trade Hub. www.africancashewalliance.com

$50 million in cashew business could not have been done without the assistance of the African Cashew Alliance and the USAID Trade Hub, a major Brazilian cashew investor told more than 350 stakeholders during his keynote address at the Peanut and Treenut Association’s annual conference in Orlando, Florida. www.africancashewalliance.com

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration discussed the African Cashew Alliance’s Quality and Sustainability Seal, introduced last year, during meetings with the ACA’s Managing Director in Washington, D.C. www.africancashewalliance.com

Malian handcrafts producers finalized collections for the New York International Gift Fair and Ambiente with technical assistance from the USAID Trade Hub. www.africa-now.org

15 importers of home décor and fashion accessories in the U.S. will display the AfricaNow! logo in their booths at the New York International Gift Fair Jan. 28 to Feb. 2, linking buyers to the professional sourcing of handcrafts products that AfricaNow! offers. www.africa-now.org

The enhanced AGOA Resource Center in Burkina Faso led discussions on using AGOA to increase exports with the country’s Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Handcrafts, the management of the Salon International de l’Artisanat de Ouagadougou, the country’s export promotion agency, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Village Artisanal de Ouagadougou. www.agoatoolkit.com

Transport                                                                                                                                         
A Trade Hub verification tour on the Dakar-Bamako corridor confirmed checkpoints on the route and showed that an empty truck faces far less harassment than a full one. The truck staff accompanied was stopped at only 13 of the 36 reported checkpoints. A full truck of maize traveling in Mali was stopped at 11 of 15 checkpoints, however. Drivers paid 1,000 to 2,000 CFA ($2 to $4) in bribes per stop on the trips. www.borderlesswa.com/newsletter

The Ghana Revenue Authority has decreased the tax imposed on haulage trucks after companies complained about it. The Vehicle Income Tax was decreased by approximately 30% drop. The Borderless campaign has empowered stakeholders with information and support in advocating for lower costs and reduced delays in the transport industry. www.borderlesswa.com

Finance
The Trade Hub’s successful “cluster” finance scheme approach – innovated by the USAID Trade Hub to improve access to finance in the cashew sector – will be adapted to address challenges in Ghana’s apparel industry, stakeholders agreed at a two-day workshop in Accra. Working with stakeholders in Nigeria in 2011, the Trade Hub’s Cashew Cluster Finance Scheme effectively kept two cashew processing companies in operation. Securing appropriate funding will go a long way to addressing issues including building local technical capacity.