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| ALTEX & ALMEDA sign long term apparel deal | | November 24, 2009 (Ethiopia) |  |
 On November 19, 2009 the USAID East Africa Competitiveness and Trade Expansion Program (COMPETE), a regional trade development project based in Nairobi, host a ceremony in Addis to highlight expanding U.S.-Ethiopian business ties.
ALMEDA TEXTILES, a member of the EFFORT Group, and two U.S. companies, ATLAS MANUFACTURING GROUP and PINNACLE TEXTILES, will sign agreements establishing long term relationships in the apparel sector.
Atlas Manufacturing Group is a leading corporation in the U.S. uniform, corporate wear, and medical garments markets. Pinnacle is the U.S. leader in kitchen wear and hospitality garments. ALMEDA TEXTILES is one the largest vertically integrated textile and apparel firms in Ethiopia spinning, weaving and finishing fabrics in its own textile mill and manufacturing apparel in its own garment factory. These partnerships will lead to initial production volumes of more than one million units of T-shirts, kitchen wear and uniforms per year, providing jobs to over 1,000 Ethiopians.
These commercial agreements are a result of several initiatives undertaken by COMPETE’s East and Central Africa Trade Hub (ECA Hub). COMPETE provided technical assistance to ALMEDA and sponsored the company to exhibit at the MAGIC Apparel Trade Show in August 2009. The Africa Pavilion at MAGIC, designed and managed by COMPETE, has become the premier platform for African Apparel exporters to access the U.S. market.
Sustained ECA Hub support to the Ethiopian Apparel sector under the U.S. African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) initiative dates back to 2003.
The USAID COMPETE project works across East and Central Africa in collaboration with regional economic communities such as the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) to reduce barriers to trade and to help African companies become more competitive in the regional and global marketplace. The ECA Trade Hub raises awareness about AGOA and provides targeted capacity building and market linkage support to exportready firms in East and Central Africa. Since 2000, 18 of 29 eligible African countries have exported ready-made garments duty free to the U.S. under AGOA. This event comes on the heels of the just concluded 8th AGOA forum held in Nairobi last August. | | | | USAID Competitiveness and Trade Expansion Program (COMPETE) | |
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