Opportunity to build skills and alliances
ITC's programme of technical assistance for the leather sector
culminates every two years in an eight-day event called 'Meet in
Africa'. The emphasis of the project, organized for members of the
African leather sector, is on training, networking and
marketing.
The second Meet in Africa, which registered close to 2,000
visitors from all over the world, was held in Casablanca, Morocco,
from 25 September to 2 October 2000. At the event,
361 companies from 38 countries exhibited their products, and
participated in conferences and seminars. In addition, ITC
organized 750 one-to-one buyer/seller meetings to facilitate
business negotiations between African enterprises and also with
overseas companies active in the sector.
The event also saw the first General Assembly of the African
Leather Federation (AFLAI), created as an ITC initiative at the
first Meet in Africa event in Cape Town, South Africa, in November
1998.
Leather has enormous potential in Africa
World trade in hides, skins, leather and leather products is
larger than in better-known commodities such as rice or tea. For
many African countries, hides and skins rank among their most
readily exportable products.
Yet this is not the end of the story. The value of the leather
trade worldwide was about US$ 48 billion in 1998, divided as
follows: US$ 27 billion in leather footwear; US$ 15 billion in
leather and leather products; and only US$ 6 billion in raw hides
and skins.
Africa needs to produce value-added leather and leather goods,
which hold far more commercial value than unfinished hides and
skins.
Meet in Africa is organized in partnership with the SIC
Group. The primary sponsor for the event is the Centre for the
Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries of the Netherlands.
For more information on ITC's products and services in the leather
sector, contact Ron Sauer, Senior Market Development Officer, at sauer@intracen.org
The discrepancy between African leather production
and trade
African share of total world production
• 5 % of bovine hides and skins
• 14% of goat and kid skins
• 9% of sheep and lamb skins
African share of world trade
• less than 2% in raw hides and skins
• 2% in leather and leather products
• less than 1% in leather footwear and footwear with leather
uppers
CyberCafé on the leather industry
In preparation for Meet in Africa, ITC compiled information
sources for the African leather industry, covering:
• tariffs
• trade statistics
• country profiles
• business opportunities
• company directories
• trade fairs
A CD-ROM is available upon request from Emmanuel
Barreto,
ITC Associate Trade Promotion Adviser, at barreto@intracen.org