Trade Hub Specialty Foods Advisor Megan Tweed trained 17 people (16 women) in food safety, packaging and labeling at a workshop organized by the U.S. Embassy in the Gambia. Two companies also received technical assistance in the design of their labels in preparation for the Fancy Food Show in New York City, June 27-29. The show will feature 25 companies from across Africa including 15 from West Africa. www.tasteafricanow.com

Transporters in Cote d’Ivoire pay the highest bribes and face the greatest delays at checkpoints that plague the country's primary corridors connecting Abidjan to Bamako and Ouagadougou, the Trade Hub-UEMOA 11th report on road harassment shows. For the first time, the report includes survey results from drivers using the corridors. Borderless Road Shows will discuss the report and other issues related to reducing the costs of transport in Ouagadougou on June 10, Bamako and Lome on June 24, and Abidjan on June 28. Contact Lacina Pakoun for more information. The 11th report is now available. Senegal’s National Transport & Trade Facilitation Committee announced that it will use the quarterly reports as the basis to reward the best-performing countries and uniformed services in terms of reducing checkpoints, bribes and delays. www.borderlesswa.com

The African Cashew Alliance provided technical assistance to cashew processors and offered training at a processors meeting in the Gambia.  Meanwhile, a cashew processing company in Ghana received a first disbursement of a total loan of US$100,000 from Grassroots Business Fund, which has placed a representative in the Trade Hub’s office in Accra.

South African designer Marisa Fick-Jordaan completed a five-day design workshop with the Suxali Gokh basket weavers in Diama, Senegal, introducing a fresh range of new fashion jewelry and hand bags, and a contemporary home collection. www.africa-now.org

A major carpet showroom in New York City is now featuring the lush carpets designed and produced by Aida Duplesses of Senegal, after meeting with the Trade Hub-assisted designer at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in April. Three West African women designers were featured at the AfricaNow! booth.

Sustainable fish & seafood in Gabon offers a variety of investment and export opportunities, shows a Trade Hub assessment made on the invitation of the U.S. Embassy. Gabon has six marine reserves, strong political will to develop its industry complemented by support from the U.S. Embassy, NOAA and NGOs, including the Wildlife Conservation Society and World Wildlife Fund.

Trade Hub Director Vanessa Adams presented Borderless, the Trade Hub-coordinated partnership to remove trade barriers in West Africa, to a high-level roundtable on regional integration hosted by the European Union delegation to Ghana. Ghana’s Minister of Transportation, the World Bank, the West African Monetary Institute, trade policy experts and private sector companies participated in the discussion. www.borderlesswa.com