© International Trade Centre, International Trade Forum
- Issue 2/2003
Donors, international aid agencies and non-governmental
organizations spend billions of dollars each year on relief
supplies. In the UN system alone, US$ 4.6 billion was spent in 2001
on goods and services, of which nearly 60% was destined for Africa.
Yet less than 7% of total UN procurement is supplied from
Africa.
The aid procurement market is complex and difficult to access,
but ITC's programme, "Buying for Africa from Africa", is helping
change attitudes among buyers and sellers. It has generated over
US$ 4 million in additional business for African firms in just over
a year.
"Few people realize that our development dollars go further when
we buy for Africa, from Africa," noted Hendrik Roelofsen, Director
of ITC's Technical Cooperation Coordination.
One small import-export company in Durban, South Africa
increased business by 50% in the last year as a result of
participating in ITC's programme. Rachel Carter, Chief Executive
Officer of Southken, said, "We got access to buyers - senior
managers of aid agencies we would not have been able to approach.
We obtained specific information on what aid agencies needed, as
well as insights into competitors' operations. We changed our way
of doing business, permanently stocking relief blankets in our
warehouse, for example, and registering with 14 aid agencies in the
region. This generated new sales to charities, hospitals and other
others, and doubled our blanket turnover. We've also expanded our
services, due to ITC's company and product profiles directory,
which is unique in the region."
For more information about the programme, contact Catherine
Taupiac, ITC Regional Trade Promotion Adviser, at taupiac@intracen.org