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Tradewinds
Tradewinds is a monthly newsletter produced by the West Africa Trade Hub.
July, 2012
After 10 years in West Africa, USAID West Africa Trade Hub Director Vanessa Adams will be moving on August 1, leaving behind a dynamic economic growth project that has had significant impact across...
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Smiling broadly, Mame K. Diene caught the eye of a passerby glancing at the baobab poster over her head.“Hi! Do you know about baobab?” she asked for the dozenth time in the last half-...
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What originally started as a tourist visit to Ghana by Maryanne Mathias has emerged into a social enterprise, Osei-Duro. It was 2009 when Mathias, Osei-Duro’s founder, brought Molly Keogh, co-...
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The USAID-UEMOA road governance initiative is targeting expansion to thousands of miles of additional trade corridors, funding permitting, the organizations announced at the project’s annual...
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The world’s largest annual cashew event is coming to Cotonou, Benin, Sept. 17-20, bringing the leading cashew companies together – including the biggest buyers and processors, technical...
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U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton greets members of the African Women's Entrepreneurship Program at the 11th Annual AGOA Forum in Washington, D.C.USAID Trade Hub Director Vanessa Adams...
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June, 2012
What does it take for Africa’s women entrepreneurs to succeed? Tradewinds asked a woman entrepreneur whose success in two sectors makes her an authority on the subject: Magatte Wade of Senegal...
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The annual AGOA Forum gathers together government and business leaders from over 37 countries in Africa to engage in dialogue about trade and investment. It is a tremendous opportunity for...
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AGOA is due to remain in force until 2015. However, one of its concessions, the third country fabric provision, a key driver of the apparel sector’s success, expires at the end of September...
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Last year, we launched the Ghana Chapter of the African Women’s Entrepreneurship Program. It was the fourth country chapter to launch after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton launched AWEP at...
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While there is enormous variety in the types of businesses women operate around the world, women entrepreneurs typically tend to cluster in sectors where the cost of entry – and the growth...
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For many years, two observations about road transport in West Africa drove efforts to reduce its costs, which are among the highest in the world: first, the state of the roads and highways, which was...
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USAID West Africa Trade Hub Transport Specialist Bright Gowonu traveled with trucks on the Cotonou-Niamey corridor in May and June.Over the last decade, the Niamey-Cotonou corridor has seen a...
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More than 175 public and private sector stakeholders made a statement at the first Borderless conference in Cote d’Ivoire: The time is now for changes that will increase trade across West...
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At the fifth annual shea industry conference April 23-27 in Cotonou, stakeholders talked about the conference for this short video.You are missing some Flash content that should appear here! Perhaps...
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There has been much talk over the years about “freer trade” in West Africa and within ECOWAS, in particular. The concept is enthusiastically embraced by farmers, manufacturers,...
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African Cashew Alliance opens online registration for its 7th annual conference as first West African processor is awarded the Alliance's Quality and Safety SealRegistration is now open for “...
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May, 2012
Recently, a chef who designs recipes for giant food companies like Kraft and General Mills was dumbfounded after analyzing a cream-colored powder provided to him by the USAID West Africa Trade Hub....
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As stakeholders prepare for the first Borderless conference – “Transforming Trade” May 15-16 in Abidjan (click here to register) - the USAID Trade Hub’s Road Governance Team...
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On April 30, Ouagarinter set a record: the “dry” port in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, handled 110 containers, the most ever for a single day. The increased volume reflects...
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Consensus on establishing a shea nut quality program and a new initiative to increase the use of shea in the U.S. food industry were among the outcomes of the fifth annual shea conference, “...
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U.S. Ambassador Phillip Carter III and Côte d’Ivoire’s Minister of Commerce, Mr. Dagobert Banzio, inaugurated a new AGOA Resource Center in Abidjan. 120 stakeholders participated in...
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March, 2012
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Business coming together to tackle the problem of 'staggering losses' at first Borderless conference
On a recent morning at the Benin-Nigeria border, a truck was stuck. The problem was not mud – it hadn’t rained for weeks. Nor was it deep sand – the road is solid and in good...
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In January, AfricaNow!, the network of importers and producers of West African home decor and fashion accessories, exhibited products at the New York International Gift Fair. Vickie Remoe, a...
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A cashew-financing scheme launched last year with stakeholders in Nigeria is expanding, helping companies overcome the access to finance challenge – perhaps the greatest obstacle they face....
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Often overlooked and underpaid, truck drivers are important stakeholders in the transport and logistics industry. They also play a key role in the USAID-UEMOA road governance initiative –...
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Over the course of five days, a Borderless caravan facilitated discussions on road governance in Cote d'Ivoire, which has seen significant declines in road checkpoints, bribes and delays since the...
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Shea 2012: Shared Value registrations surge as stakeholders prepare for CotonouOver 180 people from 15 countries have registered for Shea 2012: Shared Value, the annual shea industry conference...
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February, 2012
The launch of the Acumen Fund in West Africa is another sign that entrepreneurs have more reason to be optimistic that a key barrier to trade – access to finance – is being dealt a stiff...
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Cashew apples are getting plump and starting to drop across West Africa. Despite a few anomalies – a cold spell in The Gambia, sporadic rains in Ghana – many are expecting the 2012 season...
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