Global exhibitors flock in Addis for the Africa Sourcing and Fashion Week
The 8th edition of the Africa Sourcing and Fashion Week (ASFW), Africa’s largest meeting for fashion, sustainability, and innovation, opens its doors from November 4 - 7, 2022 at the Skylight Hotel.
The event attracted different exhibitors from Africa, Asia and Europe drawing in over 5,000 international trade visitors. The Ethiopian Ministry of Industry (MOI) and the Ethiopian Investment Commission (EIC) joined forces with GIZ to support 11 Ethiopia-based companies under the theme of ‘Ethiopia Tamrit’ to catalyze and sustain stronger business linkages between local companies and international buyers, in the framework of the Sustainable Industrial Clusters project.
In his opening remarks, Melaku Alebel, the Minister of Industry, noted that, “The Government of Ethiopia has engaged in prominent reforms and demonstrated its support to textile and garment companies. Despite the challenges, Ethiopia acquired a favorable position in the global value chain, and remains one of the African countries offering the largest production capacities, which could match with buyers’ requirements. We wish to channel the driving forces to increase exports to international markets both in quality and quantity.” Complementing the Minister’s remarks, Daniel Teresa, Deputy Commissioner of the Ethiopian Investment Commission added, “Our ambition is to build on previous fair operations and show that Ethiopian institutions and private sector are committed to join forces, hence, to promote the ‘Ethiopia Tamrit’ in Africa and beyond. Ease of doing business, legal and sectorial reform works and opening the economy to Foreign Direct Investors depicts commitment of the government to attract more investment and private sector led growth.”
The visitors in the fashion and manufacturing industry, including international investors, brands, wholesale, and retail will have further opportunity to attend a series of ASFW conferences gathering over 100 experts in the field with over 800 participants.