Creating an integrated One African Market - the AfCFTA Business Forum
Creating an integrated One African Market, promoting industrialisation and regionally integrated cotton, textile, and apparel value chains hinges upon effective private sector participation in addressing the outstanding phase 1 issues of the AfCFTA negotiations, namely the outstanding textile and apparel Rules of Origin (RoO).
At the upcoming AfCFTA Business Forum, the AfCFTA Trade and Industrial Development Advisory Council will host a hybrid textile-to-apparel panel discussion breakaway session in collaboration with the AfCFTA Secretariat.
In its capacity as Convenor of the AfCFTA Trade and Industrial Development Advisory Council, the Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance is pleased to participate at the upcoming inaugural AfCFTA Business Forum scheduled for 16 – 18 April 2023.
The hybrid textile-to-apparel breakaway session is aimed at accelerating the discussion and activate awareness around the ongoing RoO negotiations and the broader role the private sector can play in promoting the development of textile to-apparel regional value chains under the AfCFTA.
The AfCFTA Trade, and Industrial Development Advisory Council and panellist will explore:
- What RoO are required to support the development of textile and apparel production and the development of regional value chains?
- What is required from the private and public sector to support the development of the regionally integrated textile and apparel value chains?
- What can be learnt from business-to-business partnerships and public-private partnerships models in developing textile and apparel production?
- The development of private sector led vision and continental textile to apparel strategic plan.
Ms Lilowtee Rajmun-Joosery, Director, Mauritius Exports Association
Mr Hamma KwaJaffa, Director-General, Textile Manufacturers Association of Nigeria
Ms Fatima-Zohra Alaoui, Executive Director, AMITH (Morocco Textile and Apparel Industry Association)
Mr Sylvester Kazi, Vice President, Textile and Garment Manufacturers Association of Tanzania and Export Manager, A to Z Textile Mills Ltd
Mr Jaswinder Bedi, CEO, Bedi Investments
Mr Aziz Elsalmawy, Managing Partner, New Trend Egypt
Mr Lawrence Pillay, Global Head of Sourcing, Quality &Innovation, Woolworths Holdings Limited
Mr Vikas Budhiraja, Vice President Marketing, Arise IIP and PIA
Mr Isaac Maluki, Director, Shona EPZ Limited
The AfCFTA Business Forum invites broad participation of Africa’s private sector, strategic investors, financial institutions, investment promotion agencies, business councils, chambers of commerce, multinational corporations, African women, and youth business organisations, as well as Heads of States and Government, and the AfCFTA Partners.
We encourage those interested in the development of textile and apparel regional value chains under the AfCFTA to join the session online or alternatively in person.
Registration information and more details are available from here: https://au-afcfta.org/abf2023/