African manufacturers join forces

Facing fierce competition from Chinese textile operations, manufacturers from Jordan, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia joined forces at the Agadir Agreement Region Economic Forum in Tunis, Tunisia, to develop strategies to hold on to their markets. Textile and clothing account for almost 50 percent of all exports and four million jobs in the region, and the forum participants discussed improvements in customs procedures, collaborations with European luxury and sportswear brands, eliminating trade barriers and facilitating investments as methods to compete with the Chinese. The Agadir region companies hope to work with the European Union to create a Euro-Mediterranean Free Trade Area by 2010.