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CARANA News President Bush "fired up" about African exporters By Leah Quin President George W. Bush pounded shea nuts, snacked on cashews and chatted with Ghanaian entrepreneurs during an extraordinary visit to an export showcase organized by the West Africa Trade Hub on February 20. Accompanied by First Lady Laura Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Bush made the stop during their 36-hour stay in Ghana, part of a five-country tour of Africa to highlight U.S. government aid efforts. The exporters he met are working in some of Ghana's leading, non-traditional growth sectors - apparel, handcrafts, shea butter and specialty foods - and have received training, technical assistance and trade show sponsorship from the Hub. "Fired up to be here!" Bush exclaimed as he arrived at Aid to Artisans Ghana (ATAG), the non-government organization hosting the showcase at Ghana's Trade Fair. After a briefing from staff, the Bushes and Dr. Rice toured the exhibit, which featured product displays and demonstrations of industrial sewing (Oak Brook Ghana), batiking (Global Mamas), wood carving (Tekura and Fritete African Works), basket and cloth weaving (Delata Ventures) cashew-nut cracking (the African Cashew Alliance), the stages of cocoa processing (Cocoa Processing Company), and shea-butter mixing (Ele Agbe). As a phalanx of Ghanaian and international media snapped photos, exporters explained their businesses and how their products are made. At Naasakle's stand, Bush took a giant pestle from demonstrator Emma Tay and tried his hand pounding shea nuts in a mortar to remove their shells. "The president's remark was, "This is hard work,'" said Eugenia Akuete, founder of Naasakle, which actually processes its bulk shea butter for export by machine. "Thank God we have mechanized it now!" The products displayed have been exported under the U.S. African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA) to major American buyers like Target, Pier 1, Pierre Cardin, Ross Stores, the San Francisco Zoo, Marshalls, Ten Thousand Villages, and Superior Uniforms Group (supplying CVS and Walgreens). Many of these deals were facilitated by the Trade Hub, which acts as an honest broker to connect suppliers with overseas buyers - and prepares them to compete internationally. On February 26, Bush praised the Hub's work in a speech to the Sullivan Foundation in Washington, D.C. "At the trade fair, we saw how the USAID helps these budding entrepreneurs secure financing and increase their access to the U.S. market," he said. "Sometimes we take entrepreneurship for granted. The spirit exists, but sometimes people just need a little help. And that's what we're doing." Sometimes that help is just a friendly letter. Before she left Ghana, Laura Bush sent one of the entrepreneurs, Robert Ellis of Fritete, a note on White House stationery. Ellis had conversed with the Bushes and later provided two small table for the White House to use during Bush's press conference with Ghana's President, John Kufuor. In the note, Mrs. Bush included a page torn from Vogue magazine, showing African-style furniture, and said she was struck by the simple, sculptured stools in the picture - similar to those Fritete is already producing. "I think Americans would like to buy these, especially if they knew they were made in Africa," the First Lady wrote. "I know I would." "This is more than a souvenir - this is business advice," Ellis said, holding the note fondly. "This is such an inspiration to me." For more information on the Trade Hub, please see www.watradehub.com. President Bush Discusses Trip to Africa here. [Updated 12-March-2008] |
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