PSFU, TALIF and AfITT partner to boost leather investments

 

BY EABN CORRESPONDENT

KAMPALA, UGANDA- The Textile, Apparel and Leather Investment Forum (TALIF), Private Sector Foundation Uganda (PSFU) and the African Integration Think Tank (AfITT) have partnered to ensure that the textile, apparel and leather sector gets its deserved share in the global market space.

TALIF, Africa’s leading platform for sector-specific collaboration and investment, convened a high-level Meeting in Kampala, where key players and stakeholders in the textile, apparel and leather industries gathered to deliberate on key issues affecting their sector and how they can overcome them.

Under the theme, “Fostering Synergies in the African Textile & Leather Industry,” sector players pointed out some of the key challenges currently affecting the sector as lack of funding as well as embracement from the local populations.

“The local community in Uganda have not appreciated and embraced locally made textiles. They think imported textiles are better than what we do,” said Agnes Kitumba, the Chief Executive Officer of Arise Collections Ltd a company that manufactures and exports different types of textiles and apparel, some of which is recycled from local plastics.

The meeting was aiming at setting the tone for a dynamic and highly anticipated TALIF Kenya Investment Forum, scheduled to take place from 13th to 15th August in Nairobi. This will then culminate in Uganda with the TALIF Connect: Leather & Textile Investment Roundtable, to be held from 19th to 20th August at the UMA Grounds in Kampala.

According to Gashegu Muramira, Founder of the African Integration Think Tank, the absence of public/private dialogue, policies which do not favor the private sector hence creating a big gap between the two and policy implementation which he termed as zero in Africa still hinder the progress and growth of such sectors including the textile, apparel and leather industry.

“For example, under the East African Common Market Protocol, there should be free movement of goods, services and labor. But there is still requirement of a passport for citizens of partner states to travel to each other’s country.

“Only Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya allow citizens to pass using National Identity Cards under the coalition of the willing. This is hindering the free movement of goods, services and labor as envisaged by the Common Market Protocol,” said Muramira.

He said the hides and skins sector in Africa accounts to 4% of the global total production but, its also hindered by poor infrastructure.

Steven Asiimwe, the Chief Executive Officer of the Private Sector Foundation Uganda advised players in the textile, apparel and leather industry to build a strong brand identity, foster a community of brand ambassadors and develop compelling content for online marketing.

“Big brands have brought a neocolonial mentality for many African people to feel inferior of their culture. This has sunk into the textile, apparel and leather sector where one would feel inferior to wear a Gomesi to office.

“Look at textile, apparel and leather in a broader view other than clothes and handbags. Curtains, carpets, car seats and carpets are all products from this sector. All creatives. There is a need for mindset change to grow the sector,” said Asiimwe.

Since its launch in 2019, TALIF has grown into a premier Pan-African investment platform dedicated to the development of the textile, apparel, and leather industries. With a clear commitment to the transformative goals of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the forum has become a cornerstone in fostering cross-border partnerships, mobilizing capital, and building resilient regional value chains.

The upcoming TALIF Kenya Investment Forum in August will bring together a broad network of international and regional investors, manufacturers, and policymakers. The forum will focus on unlocking large-scale investment opportunities and developing a coherent strategy for regional growth across the sector.