WTO

Perspectives are varied, and it is not an open-and-shut case against US Prez Donald Trump as his political opponents would have us believe. The tariff calculations could be questionable and the unilateral announcement should be decried, but what’s amply clear is this: trade will never be the same again.

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.

Global goods trade is gradually bouncing back, says the WTO but warns that regional conflicts, geopolitical tensions and economic policy uncertainty pose substantial downside risks. 

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.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) has slashed the global merchandise trade growth rate for 2023 by almost half—to 0.8% from the 1.7% increase that was forecast earlier in April. 

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.

Better Cotton has joined the Partners’ Conference of the Aird for Trade focused on building a more resilient cotton sector. Jointly organised by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the International Trade Centre (ITC), the event focused cotton’s contribution to mitigating climate change, reducing poverty, enhancing food security, and the creation of jobs, especially for women and youth.