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 the region.

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 founded Adina World Beat Beverages in 2004, producing Senegalese bissap drinks. In 2011, she launched a personal care brand, Tiossan, which offers premium skin care products based on indigenous Senegalese recipes to the U.S. cultural creative demographic.

A brochure presenting the activities of the USAID West Africa Trade Hub.

trade-hub-brochure-0112.pdf

A common thread linking youth initiatives is technology – it’s the platform fostering entrepreneurs’ relentless drive to innovate and build new businesses. Delalorm Sesi Semabia, a blogger and designer in Ghana (see http://afrilingual.wordpress.com/ and http://inghana.wordpress.com), reports on “Barcamps” that are providing a platform for youth to connect and driving a plethora of unique, innovative ideas to create jobs and opportunity.

Ten years ago, the front cover of the Economist magazine called Africa the “hopeless continent.” In December 2011, the magazine’s editors changed their minds – it’s now the “hopeful continent” and Africa is “rising.” What a difference a decade can make.

Investors perceive that times have never been better to invest in sub-Saharan Africa—including the ECOWAS region. With some African economies attaining middle income status giving rise to emerging consumer classes and urban centers coming of age, more and more West African firms are seeking to do business in international markets.

Four years ago, I was expecting my first baby when the second iteration of the USAID Trade Hub was launched. It was an exciting time, full of personal and project dreams and expectations.

The USAID West Africa Trade Hub, the USAID Southern Africa Trade Hub and the USAID East and Central Africa Trade Hub, which frequently collaborate to promote African companies such as at the MAGIC Apparel show pictured here, will meet in Washington, D.C., to discuss strategies and approaches to increasing exports from Africa to international markets. They will also discuss aspects of the African Competitiveness and Trade Enhancement initiative l