Supporting Industrial Transformation Through the C4+ Initiative
The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has renewed its commitment to strengthening Africa’s cotton value chain, pledging continued support for transforming raw cotton into finished textiles and garments under the C4+ initiative.
During the opening of a two-day Steering Committee meeting of the Partenariat pour le Coton (PPC) held at Afreximbank Headquarters in Cairo, Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President for Intra-African Trade and Export Development, reaffirmed the bank’s dedication to building a modern, integrated cotton-textile-garment (CTG) industry across the continent.
The PPC, a global platform focused on adding value to cotton in developing nations, currently prioritises the C4+ countries — Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, and Côte d’Ivoire. Awani noted that in some of these countries, cotton contributes between 45% and 60% of GDP and foreign exchange earnings, underscoring the sector’s vast potential for economic transformation.
“By working with strategic partners, Afreximbank is committed to helping establish competitive textile and garment industries across Africa to support the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals,” Awani stated.
Addressing Key Challenges and Driving Value Addition
Awani also outlined critical challenges identified in a recent Steering Committee study, including low cotton yields, limited processing capacity, infrastructure constraints, global market fluctuations, and climate change impacts. Overcoming these hurdles, she said, is essential for Africa to secure a stronger position in the global cotton industry.
To address these issues, Afreximbank will deploy a broad range of financial and technical tools, including:
- Project preparation funding
- Tailored debt and equity financing
- SME support and export advisory services
- Insurance solutions and digital market access platforms
- Trade facilitation and investment promotion initiatives
Strengthening Partnerships for Sustainable Growth
As part of its ongoing support, Afreximbank reaffirmed its US$80,230 grant for a baseline study aimed at mapping out the development of Africa’s cotton value chain under the PPC. The grant—formalised through an amendment to the Trust Fund Agreement with UNIDO—falls within the WTO-FIFA cooperation framework.
Jean-Marie Paugam, Deputy Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and Chair of the Steering Committee, welcomed Afreximbank’s leadership, expressing optimism that the discussions would result in concrete steps toward local industrialisation and cotton processing within C4+ nations.
The Cairo meeting brought together key stakeholders from Africa’s and the global textile sectors, reinforcing the collective commitment to achieving sustainable industrial transformation and value addition across the African cotton industry.
