The EU Will Assist The Zimbabwean in Developing a Cotton-to-Clothing Strategy

The European Union will assist the Zimbabwean cotton industry in developing a cotton-to-clothing strategy that aims at enhancing development and competitiveness of the sector, according to a statement from the Delegation of the EU to Zimbabwe.

The cotton-to clothing strategy, funded by EU and the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) and implemented by the International Trade Centre (ITC), will provide Zimbabwe with an improved policy framework and detailed implementation plan.

The program will take into account all specific export constraints and opportunities in order to improve the export competitiveness of Zimbabwe’s cotton sector and will provide a clear and detailed framework for the implementation of the strategy.

The program will also assist Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce in its resource mobilization efforts required to ensure the implementation of the strategy, i.e. through the development of bankable project proposals aligned with the priorities identified by the strategy.

This initiative is done in close collaboration with the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Secretariat, which developed its regional sector strategy a couple of years ago, the statement said.

“With this initiative, the EU aims at supporting the Zimbabwean Government and the private sector in generating as much value addition as possible in-country, while at the same time improving the competitiveness of Zimbabwean products in the globalised markets,” said Ambassador Aldo Dell’Ariccia, Head of the EU Delegation to Zimbabwe in the statement.

To initiate the strategy-development process, a workshop was held on April 2-3, 2014 in Harare, which was attended by all relevant stakeholders along the whole value chain from cotton to clothing.