Global Shea Alliance participates at in-cosmetics, trains women in Ghana

The Global Shea Alliance, co-founded by the USAID Trade Hub in 2011, participated at the In-Cosmetics international trade show and the Union for Ethical Bio Trade conference in Paris, distributing more than 100 annual reports and membership directories to shea butter distributers, brands, and development agencies from around the world.

Border Information Center opens at the Port of Dakar

105 stakeholders in Senegal participated in the launch of West Africa’s fourth Border Information Center in Dakar. The new center is hosted by the Conseil Sénégalais des Chargeurs (COSEC).

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The Centre de Formation Artisanale de Recyclage et de Recuperation in Senegal, an AfricaNow! partner company that receives technical assistance from the USAID Trade Hub, has won the prestigious Artisanal Creativity award at the 12th edition of the Salon International de l’Artisanat de Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso. The prize includes a significant financial award and a two-year scholarship in France for one of the center’s youth. www.africa-now.org

In FY2010, the USAID West Africa Trade Hub facilitated over US$12.3 million in exports from West African exporters, created 930 jobs (252 for women) and trained over 2,100 people (787 women). At 22 international trade events, 515 companies from 13 countries established almost 3,000 market linkages. With public and private sector partners, the USAID Trade Hub launched a regional advocacy campaign – Borderless – that drew international attention to the urgent need to remove trade barriers across West Africa.

Explore the locations of some of the export ready companies we work with across the region. (N.B. This map was last updated in August 2010.)

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More than 100 public and private sector stakeholders attended the inauguration of a new enhanced AGOA Resource Center in Douala, Cameroon. www.agoatoolkit.com

Over 100 public and private sector stakeholders in Gabon established a committee to develop national export strategies to maximize benefits of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act after an AGOA workshop. www.agoatoolkit.com

Senegal now has its own barcode, allowing exporters to use the international identification system to indicate their products as originating from the country.

West Africa's internet access costs are some of the highest in the world. The reason is the virtual monopoly on internet traffic from the region - the Sat3 submarine cable which links West Africa to Europe.

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Seven West African shea exporters from Burkina Faso, Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal established contacts with buyers at the New York State Cosmetic Chemists Suppliers’ Day. Sustainable sourcing was of greatest interest.

An American-Pakistani manufactured apparel joint venture has started recruiting for more than 60 new jobs at a facility it is just opening in Tema, Ghana.