UNIDO pushes roadmap for cotton in West Africa
04/07/2024
The initiative aims to mobilise $12 billion for the Cotton Four countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali) and Côte d’Ivoire to support the development of a sustainable cotton industry in the region.
The involvement of financial institutions will be critical in improving access to energy and skill enhancement, while aiding in infrastructure projects, facilitating trade and unlocking investment opportunities essential to developing the cotton-to-textile value chain in West and Central Africa, said UNIDO.
UNIDO director general Gerd Müller said: “Our shared goal is fair and sustainable local cotton processing to create decent jobs and economic growth in the region. We offer our expertise to bring more local value addition in the cotton sector and support the development of a truly inclusive and sustainable textile industry. What we need is to also work towards establishing a ‘blue button’ seal to promote sustainable and fairly produced textiles around the world. We must fundamentally rethink how our economies and our global supply chains work and create a fairer globalization that benefits all.”
WTO director general Okonjo-Iweala added: “West Africa stands at the cusp of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in the cotton and textile industry. I am happy with Gerd Müller of UNIDO and ITC and others as we are working to try and help them [Cotton Four] develop the cotton value chain in the countries.”
Image: Hani Sonbol (ITFC), Gerd Müller (UNIDO), Pamela Coke-Hamilton (ITC), Samaila Zubairu (AFC), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (WTO)
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