The Hub’s footwear consultant traveled to Ethiopia and Kenya over the past week to meet with footwear stakeholders and exporters. Ethiopia is the largest African exporter of footwear under AGOA and Kenya is seeking to revitalize its leather sector, with footwear as a major component. The Hub’s footwear consultant assessed Ethiopian and Kenyan footwear firms to identify export-ready enterprises with which the Hub will engage. Selected firms will benefit from one-on-one technical assistance and linkages with U.S. buyers. Selected firms will also be eligible to participate in Hub-sponsored trade shows, including the upcoming Sourcing at MAGIC trade show in Las Vegas, NV on February 20-23, 2017.

While in Ethiopia, the Hub’s footwear consultant conducted a technical workshop with 20 export-ready companies to educate participants on U.S. market dynamics and requirements. Prof. Mwinyihija, the Executive Director of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa Leather and Leather Products Institute also made a presentation on intra-regional footwear market opportunities in Eastern Africa which was well received by companies.