Africa’s Cotton Value Chain Push: $5B
Investment to Drive Inclusive Growth
Investment in the cotton, textiles and garments
sector can help transform economic development in Central and West Africa, said
speakers at a high-level event on the eve of the WTO's 14th Ministerial Conference
in Yaoundé, Cameroon, on 25 March and at the opening ceremony on 26 March. Ministers,
heads of international agencies, development finance institutions, private sector
partners and FIFA representatives highlighted the opportunities for Africa to weave
its way up the value chain to accelerate economic growth.
Key Points
·
Event Context:
o High-level cotton sector dialogue held on
25–26 March 2026 in Yaoundé, Cameroon, ahead of WTO’s 14th Ministerial Conference
(MC14).
o Ministers, agency heads, development finance
institutions, private sector partners, and FIFA representatives participated.
·
Current Challenge:
o 98% of cotton from West & Central Africa
exported as raw fibre.
o Limited domestic processing into textiles
and garments.
·
PPC Initiative:
o Partenariat pour le Coton (PPC) launched at MC13, now
entering implementation phase.
o Goal: Mobilize USD 5 billion investment
over 10 years, generate USD 6 billion in value-added products, and create
500,000 direct jobs.
o Focus on women and youth employment.
·
C-4+ Leadership:
o Core countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad,
Mali + Côte d’Ivoire.
o Positioned as gateway for cotton processing
and industrial development.
·
New Tools:
o Launch of Africa Textile Invest platform
to guide investors with industrial zone data and opportunities.
·
Key Voices:
o WTO DG Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala: “On the cusp
of creating a modern textiles and garment industry.”
o ITC ED Pamela Coke-Hamilton: “The future
of African cotton lies in value addition.”
o UNIDO MD Gunther Berger: “Industrial development
bridges natural resources to global markets.”
o Afreximbank President George Elombi: pledged Africa
will shift from raw cotton exports to textiles/clothing within 15–20 years.
·
Showcase & Symbolism:
o FIFA unveiled cotton-based apparel from
Benin for Football for Schools.
o Fashion show highlighted designers from
C-4+ countries, Nigeria, and Cameroon.
·
Strategic Outlook:
o MC14 seen as pivotal to catalyze investment, reinforce commitment, and accelerate regional
textile/garment ecosystem integration.
[ABS News Service/28.03.2026]
The high-level event marked the
launch of a new phase under the Partenariat pour le Coton
(PPC) initiative, with a focus on mobilizing investment to accelerate the
transformation of the cotton-to-textile-and-garment value chain.
Today, around 98% of the region's
cotton is exported as raw fibre, although the region has the potential to position
itself as a gateway for processing and transformation into textiles and garments,
speakers underlined.
"We are on the cusp of creating
a modern textiles and garment industry across West and Central Africa," said
WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
Analysis by the PPC shows that
USD 5 billion in investment and capacity-building support could generate around
500,000 direct jobs, such as textile manufacturing, transport and even fashion design,
with women and youth among those set to benefit.
The initiative, which builds on
the leadership of the "C-4+" group of countries (Benin, Burkina Faso,
Chad and Mali, plus Côte d'Ivoire), aims to position the region as a gateway for
cotton processing and industrial development.
At the event, PPC partners also
launched the "Africa Textile Invest" platform, a new tool to support investors by providing a single
access point to information on country data, industrial zones and a pipeline of
investment opportunities.
"This new portal is an example
of how we can translate the vision of the C-4+ into concrete action," said
the Managing Director of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization
(UNIDO), Mr. Gunther Berger, reaffirming UNIDO's commitment to support the development
of industrial capacities across the cotton-textile-garment value chain. He also
highlighted that industrial development is the bridge that connects natural resources
to global markets.
"The future of African cotton
lies in value addition," said the Executive Director of the International Trade
Centre (ITC), Pamela Coke-Hamilton. "Through this partnership, we'll strengthen
the cotton value chain across the continent, including through private-sector investment,
so farmers and small businesses capture more value at home. This will change thousands
of lives."
Cameroon's Minister of Trade, Luc
Magloire Mbarga Atangana, also addressed the event, along with ministers from the
C-4+ group, development partners and private sector representatives.
Other contributors to the High-Level
Panel Discussion were Gherzi Textile Organisation, the
Bank of Industry, Arise IIP, Africa Export Import Bank (Afreximbank),
the African Development Bank, the Islamic Trade Finance Corporation and Scan-Thor,
whose insights enriched the dialogue.
At the opening ceremony of MC14,
Dr. George Elombi, the President and Chairman of Afreximbank
told the assembled ministers that African cotton will be an engine of growth, with
the bank providing the investment power.
"Within 15 to 20 years, Africa
will be out of the cotton export business, and fully in to exports of textiles and
clothing, ensuring more money stays improving lives and livelihoods across the continent,"
he pledged to hundreds of attendees.
On the eve of the Conference, FIFA
representatives and Cameroonian football legends - including Samuel Eto'o - unveiled new tee-shirts and polo shirts produced by
Benin from African cotton for the FIFA Football for Schools programme.
In addition, the ITC and the WTO
organized a fashion show featuring a cotton-themed catwalk. A reception after the
event showcased the creative work of designers from the C-4+ countries as well as
Nigeria and Cameroon, complemented by demonstrations by traditional cotton artisans
and jewellers.
Launched at MC13 in Abu Dhabi,
the Partenariat pour le Coton (PPC) is a flagship initiative that bridges the WTO's discussions
on the development dimension of cotton with tangible industrialization and investment
efforts across West and Central Africa. As a multistakeholder support mechanism,
bringing together committed international organizations, finance institutions and
private-sector partners, the PPC supports the C-4+ countries in mobilizing the investment
needed to transform the cotton-to-textile value chain and to translate trade into
meaningful development outcomes.
The initiative aims to support
the C-4+ countries in mobilizing USD 5 billion in investment over a 10-year period,
generating USD 6 billion in value-added products, and enabling the region to position
itself as a competitive West and Central African cotton and textile gateway for
investment. The PPC seeks to leverage trade and investment to produce sustained
and inclusive development gains.
Following the successful completion
of its diagnostic phase (2024-2025), which identified priority investment areas
across the C-4+ countries, the PPC is now entering a critical implementation phase.
To effectively support countries in attracting investment, a combination of donor
funding, blended finance solutions and risk mitigation instruments must be mobilized
at scale.
MC14 comes at a pivotal
moment, providing an opportunity to reinforce commitment in the cotton sector, catalyse investment and accelerate the emergence of
a stronger, more integrated regional cotton textile/garment ecosystem across West
and Central Africa.