“One of the things we've been delighted about AGOA is that we've been able to expand trade with African women-owned businesses," Liser said.
“A lot of the fabric and apparel industry in Africa is run by women, and we are seeing many of them using AGOA to expand their exports while partnering with women and small businesses on the U.S. side.”
Nana Yaa, an executive with Ranyros Ltd., a textile and apparel import-export company, says her firm also seeks to take advantage of AGOA's entry-free provisions for finished apparel. “We'd like to export uniforms such as nurses' and doctors' gowns as well as bed sheets,” she said.
“We do specialty apparel, and if we could get large orders from U.S. hospitals our firm would grow, we would hire more workers and Ghana's economy would be strengthened.”
Ghanaian entrepreneur and small manufacturer Harold Otabil spoke enthusiastically as he prepared a cup of his special cocoa powdered drink. Otabil is founder and owner of Hords Ltd., maker of Brown Gold Natural Cocoa Powder.
Otabil said his aim is to use AGOA to give his company an export boost into the health conscious U.S. market. Cocoa, which abounds in West Africa, is “a natural anti-cancer agent,” he said.
Otabil said, “We are the first in West Africa to promote cocoa as a health food and this is the message we want to give our potential American customers."
His company does export abroad to England, but “we really want to enter the U.S. market and this is where we think AGOA can help us.”
Leah Quin, USAID communications director of the Accra Hub, noted the impressive turnout of exhibitors and their desire to showcase products they hoped Americans would embrace with the help of AGOA.
USINFO - U.S. Department of State
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