HDHT East Africa & Madagascar

This Home Decoration and Home Textiles Programme (‘Design for Development’) supports 19 SMEs from four countries: Kenya, Madagascar, Tanzania and Uganda. The goal is to contribute to sustainable economic development of the HD/HT sector in East Africa through the expansion of export from these countries. East Africa is one of the most important crafts producing regions on the African continent. Its geographical location has made it a melting pot of different cultures, resulting in a rich diversity of crafts skills and products. The crafts sector has a huge economic potential for countries in the region. It creates desperately needed jobs in rural and peri-urban areas and adds value to local raw materials. Besides generating export earnings, it can also contribute to import substitution by providing locally produced alternatives to imported products. The CBI program focusses on export management, quality, reliability and capacity building. CBI experts provide technical assistance to companies in the development of their export marketing plans and in product development. Products range from woven bags to knitwear, vases, candle holders ,basketry, wood and bone products, towels, blankets and more. Companies involved in the programme have participated in several trade fairs, for example Maison et Objet in Paris and Ambiente and Heimtextil in Frankfurt. The topics of "Sustainability" and "Ethical Trade" are becoming increasingly important in the sector. In order to better communicate how these topics are addressed by the participating companies, CBI developed a “Pop-Up Exhibition” which is showcased at different trade fairs. It offers participants an additional Market Entry tool that showcases their collections. In order to give the companies access to the regional market, CBI initiated SOURCE East Africa, a professional business-to-business trade fair for home décor, fashion accessories and gifts in Tanzania. CBI decided to collaborate with the World Fair Trade Organisation, USAID East Africa Trade and Investment Hub and Trade Mark East Africa. SOURCE East Africa is the first of such a fair in the region and aims to give producers and buyers a platform to trade products produced in the region. The first edition of the event took place in Arusha from the 23rd – 25th September 2016 and has been a big success.