Football boost for African cotton producers
The Cotton made in Africa (CmiA) initiative has announced its support for a project that aims to capitalise on the popularity of football to promote economic growth in developing countries.
A programme set up by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the sport’s global governing body, FIFA, will aim to integrate West Africa cotton-growing countries more closely in the global value chain for football shirts.
FIFA and the WTO have given the name Partnership for Cotton to this initiative and at a recent meeting in Benin welcomed CmiA as a member of its steering committee. CmiA works with 20 cotton companies and nearly one million small-scale farmers in eleven countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
Hamburg-based Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF) is the organisation that administers Cotton made in Africa. In response to the invitation to work with the WTO and FIFA on this project, AbTF managing director, Tina Stridde, said: “The topic of sustainable cotton production and the concerns of people in the region are close to our heart.”
She said this new partnership was a step in the right direction in terms of developing a sustainable value chain, from raw cotton to the finished textile, in Africa. In practical terms, countries in Africa will not only grow and export cotton but also increase business activity in the profitable processing stages of production.
Image: Malicky Boaz for CmiA
