"Value Chain & Gains!," the African Cashew Alliance's World Cashew Festival and Expo2013, will take place Sept. 16-19 in Lagos, Nigeria, the Alliance has announced. The Eko Hotel Suites will host the event.

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).

More than 500 representatives of all points in the shea value chain participated in the Global Shea Alliance’s “Global Perspectives” conference, held in Abuja, Nigeria, in March, and set the course for the future of an industry whose global significance grows with every year. Alliance members set up working groups on sustainability on the critical issues of quality and sustainability, and elected a new president.

Featuring an interview with Paul Brenton, the World Bank’s Trade Practice Manager for Africa, and a review of the success of the USAID Trade Hub’s access to finance strategy, the USAID Trade Hub’s monthly newsletter, Tradewinds, was delivered to more than 12,000 subscribers. www.watradehub.com/tradewinds

Hundreds of shea companies will join high-level VIPs, including former President of Nigeria Ibrahim Babangida, Nigerian Deputy Minister of Trade, the Governor of Niger State, the Nigerian Minister of State for Federal Capitol, and the Benin Minister of Commerce, at Shea 2013: Global Perspectives, March 4-6 in Abuja, Nigeria. Sponsors have pledged more than $150,000 to support the event, expected to be the largest ever shea event in Africa.

Register online at www.globalshea.com !

Business
The Global Shea Alliance has released a draft of its sustainability strategy for the shea industry as it prepares for the sixth industry annual conference March 4-6 in Abuja, Nigeria. The conference has already surpassed $100,000 in sponsorship support. The strategy places women’s livelihoods as its central focus and is available online at www.globalshea.com.

Bankers learn about USAID Trade Hub access to finance initiatives

80 finance experts discussed constraints that limit small and medium enterprises’ access to finance and learned about the USAID Trade Hub’s innovative work to improve access during a meeting organized by Ecobank Togo in Lome. The USAID Trade Hub’s work with the African Cashew Alliance, the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development and the West African Development Bank were the focus of a presentation by the USAID Trade Hub.

The region’s third Border Information Center has opened at the Benin-Nigeria border, taking on what many traders believe may be the most difficult border crossing in the region. The USAID Business Environments for Agile Markets (BEAM) is supporting the initiative, which involves the close collaboration of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, the Benin National Shippers’ Council and the USAID West Africa Trade Hub.

Business
A new cashew processor in Togo has hired 400 local employees and expects to double its processing capacity three-fold within the next year with support from the African Cashew Alliance. The ACA’s business advisor worked with the company’s managers, assessing its operations and providing guidance to increase productivity. www.africancashewalliance.com