Mali

The African cotton sector has received a shot in the arm as some key global players have joined hands to galvanise financing to promote cooperation in developing programmes that support private sector engagement and investment in the Cotton-4 countries and other cotton-producing countries in West and Central Africa.

In a bid to integrate West African cotton-growing countries more closely in the global value chain for football clothing, Cotton made in Africa (CmiA) will now be a part of the joint initiative of the WTO and FIFA that aims to open up new markets to African cotton farmers and producers, for example in the area of sportswear.

The World Trade Organization and FIFA have launched a new brand under their Cotton 4-plus initiative to promote the cotton sector in the West Africa region which is know for good quality cotton, but is unable to export enough cotton products compared to cotton lint.

As part of FIFA’s efforts to explore opportunities for African cotton-producing nations in the global football apparel market, it has roped in the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) to assess the cotton-to-textile value chain development in five African nations — the ‘Cotton 4 (plus)’ group.