Benin exports first locally produced clothes to Europe

Key Takeaways

In recent years, Benin has emerged as Africa’s leading cotton producer, with an annual production of 728,000 tonnes in 2020-2021, according to government figures. Traditionally, most of this raw cotton was exported, primarily to Bangladesh. An initiative between the Republic of Benin and Arise Integrated Industrial Platforms, a pan-African venture partly owned by the Africa Finance Corporation, seeks to change this pattern by creating jobs and generating revenue locally. This initiative aims to process the cotton and other agricultural products within Benin, transforming them into finished goods such as T-shirts and underwear for export to Europe, Asia, Africa, and the US. The GDIZ houses the textile factories and expects to increase exports by $5 billion to $10 billion within 10 years, GDP by $4 billion to $ 7 billion by 2030, and Benin’s manufacturing output fivefold.