US apparel buyer linked to sourcing opportunities in Madagascar
On August 26-30, the USAID East African Trade and Investment Hub conducted a buyer mission to Antananarivo, Madagascar for a large publicly listed U.S. apparel company.
The U.S buyer engaged with apparel companies in Madagascar and identified several sourcing opportunities that could support its production of apparel and related fashion goods across several top brands.
“Madagascar’s private sector is recognizing and fully embracing the longevity from investing in the value chain, creating a sustainable footprint, and embracing the need for regulatory compliance.
It needs the backing of the government and relevant authorities to make this last point realizable,” said the U.S buyer.
“It is always nice to have an open discussion with potential partners that share the same vision and philosophy of doing business. The whole company team is looking forward to starting the discussion with your sourcing team in order to tackle the potential opportunities in for your heritage brands,” said the chief executive officer of a leading Madagascan vendor.
The global apparel industry is increasingly looking to East Africa as a sourcing and investment base. U.S. companies benefit from countries’ duty-free access to the U.S. market through AGOA, while East African nations benefit from the labor-intensive industry’s boost to employment and economic growth. Partnerships between East African and U.S. firms build economies of scale and create a foundation for integrated global supply chains.
The Hub promotes direct, win-win business linkages by proactively organizing and supporting buyer missions, as well as business-to-business events and trade shows. For this visit, the Hub pre-selected the Madagascan firms and assisted with their preparations for meeting the U.S. company.
The Hub will continue to provide support as the companies discuss areas for collaboration and sample orders. Activities such as these increase individual firms’ exports to the U.S. As of June 2018, Hub-supported firms have exported $415.6 million under AGOA.
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