Rebuilding Africa’s CTA Value Chains: Advancing Industrial Coordination Under AfCFTA
Africa’s cotton, textile, and apparel (CTA) sector stands at a critical turning point. Despite the continent’s strong cotton production base and growing consumer market, fragmented value chains, weak industrial coordination, and limited regional integration continue to constrain the sector’s ability to fully contribute to industrialisation, job creation, export growth, and economic transformation.
As global trade systems evolve and supply chains increasingly prioritise resilience, regional sourcing, and manufacturing integration, the need to rebuild and strengthen Africa’s CTA ecosystems has become more urgent than ever. Across many African economies, production systems remain disconnected, with cotton production, textile manufacturing, garment assembly, logistics, infrastructure, and trade systems often operating in isolation rather than as coordinated industrial networks.
To address these pressing challenges and explore practical pathways for industrial transformation, the International Trade and Research Centre (ITRC) will host an upcoming high-level webinar themed:
Rebuilding Africa’s CTA Value Chains: From Fragmentation to Industrial Coordination
Date: 22nd May, 2026
Time: 2:30 PM (Nigeria Time)
Venue: Virtual (Online)
The webinar will bring together policymakers, manufacturers, investors, researchers, development institutions, and private sector actors to examine how Africa can strengthen regional value chains and build more competitive textile manufacturing ecosystems under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) framework.
Discussions during the session will focus on several key areas, including:
- Strengthening industrial coordination across African markets
- Enhancing regional value chain integration
- Boosting manufacturing competitiveness
- Expanding trade and investment opportunities within the CTA sector
- Advancing policy and institutional collaboration
- Addressing infrastructure and logistics challenges affecting industrial growth
The conversation will also explore how coordinated industrial strategies, regional production systems, and stronger institutional alignment can help Africa retain more value within its cotton and textile industries while improving its position within global sourcing networks.
As Africa seeks to move beyond raw material exports toward higher-value manufacturing and industrial upgrading, rebuilding integrated CTA value chains will be essential to creating sustainable jobs, attracting investment, supporting SMEs, and advancing regional trade.
The ITRC believes this webinar presents an important opportunity for stakeholders across government, industry, academia, and development institutions to contribute to the growing dialogue on Africa’s industrial future and the transformation of the continent’s textile and apparel sector.
We invite all interested participants to join the conversation and share the invitation widely within their networks to help broaden participation and impact.