GOTS welcomed 112 attendees from 21 countries, including twelve within Africa, to the first GOTS Conference in Africa, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The conference, themed “Toward an African Value Chain” brought together producers, processors, brands and certification partners for discussions, problem solving, and networking.
Topics covered included identifying gaps in the supply chain, highlighting opportunities and partners for collaboration, and increasing awareness of certified organic products within the African market.
The gathering was an important step in establishing the growing market in Africa. “The conference helped to initiate discussions among the various groups of stakeholders and of course an understanding of each other’s needs in the market. I am happy to say that these exchanges have begun the process of developing a robust African organic textiles value chain” notes GOTS Representative in Africa, Muktar Dodo.
Moving forward, GOTS will continue to foster this important developing market by actively engaging and facilitating connections between brands, certified entities and other players who support organic fibre production in Africa.
