The Trade Hub submitted its April to June quarterly report of activities to USAID this week. Trade Hub-assisted exporting companies generated US$1.5 million in exports last quarter, attracting US$280,000 in investment and creating 75 jobs (61 filled by women). A new enhanced AGOA Resource Center opened in Cameroon in April and the Transport team released two comprehensive studies during the quarter. A joint Trade Hub-ECOWAS workshop on gaps in the implementation of the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme set a course for improving the Scheme’s implementation and exporting companies began signing up for eBizBox II, the Trade Hub’s package of software, hardware and connectivity solutions.

Business
Members of the Procurement for Development group of Chatham House in the U.K. participated in a presentation and discussion on the sustainable sourcing of shea made by Dr. Peter Lovett, the Trade Hub’s shea expert, in London. Export of shea affects the livelihoods of more than four million women who collect the nuts and make shea butter in Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Ghana, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo. http://www.chathamhouse.org.uk/research/eedp/current_projects/procurement/

The Trade Hub Buyer Linkages team learned about current trends in materials and design for home décor and fashion accessories at the TexWorld trade show and African Fashion Week, two events held in New York City this week. This end-market information will be shared with West African apparel and home décor & fashion accessories exporters. www.africa-now.org

Trade Hub experts consulted with handcraft producers in Ghana on forthcoming chain of custody procedures for wood that will be issued by the Ghana Forestry Commission. Those procedures are central to producers’ ability to certify the wood in their products as sustainably harvested, which will be necessary if they are to continue exporting to the U.S. with the introduction of the Lacey Act. The Trade Hub is ensuring that handcraft industry input is considered in the design of the procedures. Wood suppliers and carvers also received education on how their compliance with the Lacey Act will promote the handcraft industry and trade.

A Trade Hub-assisted home décor & fashion accessories company in Ghana has received a full order for its recycled glass beads after successfully delivering on a trial order.

Transport
The Trade Hub and UEMOA identified 10 recommendations to ensure the sustainability of their joint Improved Road Transport Governance initiative, which monitors and reports on road harassment in Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Senegal and Togo. More than 50 stakeholders participated in the fifth annual meeting, which was held in Dakar, Senegal. www.borderlesswa.com

In separate and independent announcements, the governments of Senegal and Togo pledged to reduce checkpoints on their segments of primary trade corridors in West Africa, which were reported in media in both countries. They repeated the pledges at the 5th annual steering committee meeting of the Trade Hub-UEMOA Improved Road Transport Governance initiative held in Dakar, Senegal.