Business
The Salon International de l’Artisanat de Ouagadougou (SIAO) will feature a series of workshops targeting exporting companies organized by USAID’s Trade Hub and SIAO. The show, themed “African handcrafts, youth and employment,” runs Oct. 29 to Nov. 7 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. It attracts more than 300,000 people to see the handcrafts of more than 6,000 exhibiting artisans. SIAO Executive Director Moussa Traore met with a team from USAID’s Trade Hub Aug. 30 and 31 to discuss logistics for the workshops.

USAID’s Trade Hub has been invited to participate in “Towards a Better Shea,” a meeting of Procurement for Development, a forum sponsored by the UK’s Department for International Development on Sept. 16 in London. The group is a collection of retailers and brands concerned about the positive impact their operations can have in the developing world. Procurement for Development members are focusing on how to modify how they source shea in Africa in order to ensure that women harvesting shea nuts and producing shea butter receive fair prices.

West African handcrafts exporters assisted by USAID’s Trade Hub and importers that work with USAID’s Trade Hub reported sales reaching pre-recession levels during the New York International Gift Fair Aug. 14-17 in New York City. Although cautiously optimistic, vendors reported rising figures, an encouraging sign.

More than 250 people from more than 25 countries are expected at the fifth annual conference of the African Cashew Alliance in Maputo, Mozambique Sept. 14-17. The conference, “Empowering the Industry,” is focusing on the ACA’s efforts to build processing capacity across the continent, market cashew internationally and facilitate new investment. www.africancashewalliance.com/conference
 
Transportation
Civil society groups in Senegal received training Sept. 2 in the implementation of advocacy activities to reduce road harassment under grants from USAID’s Trade Hub. The two organizations, Collectif des Femmes pour la Lutte contre l’Emigration Clandestine (COFLEC) and Forum Civile, will begin campaigns using pressure groups and popular entertainers to raise awareness and increase pressure on authorities to remove barriers to trade along primary trade corridors in the country.

Police and gendarmes in Mali are writing informal inspection “tickets” when trucks arrive at checkpoints in an apparent move to justify “fines” they demand of truck drivers, thoughthe tickets were not collected when bribes were paid by drivers, noted USAID’s Trade Hub Transportation Specialists reported during a verification tour Sept. 2. Specialists conduct verification tours on each of the six corridors that participate in USAID’s Trade Hub-UEMOA road governance monitoring and reporting initiative started in 2006.
 
Business Environment
Officials in Senegal are working to improve implementation of ECOWAS Interstate Road Transport rules, which were highlighted in USAID’s Trade Hub’s analysis of the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme in nine West African countries. Senegalese authorities met in Dakar Sept. 1 to validate the findings of the analysis.