Apparel Trade Linkages Consultant

Posted on 26/10/2017

A. BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION

The East Africa Trade and Investment Hub (the Hub) is a five-year USAID project designed to promote inclusive economic growth by strengthening the enabling environment for trade and investment in East Africa. Amongst other things, the project promotes increased two-way trade and investment between the U.S. and East and sub-Saharan Africa.

The Hub works in various sectors including apparel, footwear, home décor and fashion accessories, specialty foods and cut flowers. The Hub supports development and implementation of national AGOA strategies, provides firm level technical assistance to increase vendors’ capacity to serve US Markets, promotes US-Africa business linkages through buyer missions, business to business platforms and trade shows; supports exporters through firm’s level technical assistance and creates awareness of AGOA benefits and requirements amongst partners, exporters and importers.

 

B. SCOPE OF WORK

The Apparel Trade Linkages Consultant will provide technical support to buyers, East Africa exporters, partner agencies and national governments to support increased exports of apparel and related products, particularly exports to the US under AGOA.

The scope of work is to provide technical support for the Hub’s trade promotion activities in the apparel and textile sectors. This will facilitate market linkages between foreign and regional buyers and East African producers of apparel and textiles. This will involve facilitating 1 National AGOA Strategy to be developed/updated, organizing 2 inward missions to East Africa by US buyers interested in sourcing from the region, organizing attendance of East African exporters in at least 6 sectoral trade shows in various locations including international trade shows and regional shows and providing technical assistance to the Hub supported firms and East African governments to better engage with foreign buyers through information dissemination and training.

The technical assistance will be delivered in the US, in Egypt, in various Eastern Africa countries (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Nairobi Kenya; Kigali Rwanda; Dar es Salaam Tanzania, Antananarivo Madagascar, Mauritius and Kampala, Uganda) over 12 months

 

C. OBJECTIVES

As part of objectives to increase trade and export, particularly with the U.S. under the African Growth Opportunity Act, The Hub is seeking technical support in the apparel sector.

Objective 1: To identify and connect U.S. buyers in the apparel sector interested in sourcing from East Africa with businesses in African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) beneficiary countries of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Madagascar, and Mauritius.

Objective 2: To prepare selected East African businesses to successfully engage with U.S. buyers, including through training workshops and firm level advisory visits.

Objective 3: To support export-ready East African businesses in trade fair participation, and to prepare East African businesses to become exhibition-ready.

Objective 4: To support East African countries develop and implement their AGOA national strategies as they relate to the apparel sector.

 

D. TASKS

1. National AGOA Strategies and Action Plan
2. The consultant will participate in review of Ethiopia National AGOA Strategy & Action Plan, with specific reference to the home décor and fashion accessories sector and will prepare content for chapters relating to the sector and participate in stakeholder consultation in the id_country, to support the development and validation of the new strategy and action plan.
3. Buyer Missions
4. Over the course of this SOW, at least 2 apparel buyers mission will be executed by working with the US companies. This scope of work would continue using the model developed in previous buyer’s mission.
5. Trade Show Participation
6. The consultant will provide trade show support services including: participation in selection of participants, preparing participants through pre-trade show coaching, conduct pre-show publicity to buyers and media; assisting exhibitors to set up their displays, linking them to selected buyers, advising them during their interactions with buyers, collecting attendance and feedback information (M&E), conducting post show follow up to enhance order fulfilment, and reporting on activities. The final result of these activities should be demonstrable through tangible orders and exports made resulting from trade show follow up.
7. Targeted Frim Level Capacity Building

 

E. WORK LOCATION AND SUPERVISION

The Apparel and Textile Trade Linkages Consultant will work from a variety of locations, including but not limited to Nairobi, Kenya; Antananarivo, Madagascar; Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Kampala, Uganda; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Mauritius; Kigali, Rwanda; New York, New York; Las Vegas, Nevada; Cairo, Egypt; various US cities where buyers located and the consultant’s home office location in the US.

The consultant will report to the Component 3 Lead: Director, Trade Promotion & AGOA.

• EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Required

• Post- high school education (Associate degree or Bachelor’s degree) from an accredited college or university
• 10 years progressively responsible work experience in the apparel trade including some years in an apparel or textile sourcing function.
• Senior level experience in supply chain, merchandising, production, export sales or logistics in a US-based retailer or importer
• Extensive knowledge of the US apparel trade including familiarity with senior executives of top brands
• Fluency in spoken and written English. Foreign language ability an advantage.
• Able to write reports, create spreadsheets and make presentations using MS Office Suite applications

Added advantage

• Post graduate degree or professional qualification in business administration, management, merchandizing, fashion design, economics or other relevant field
• International work experience, particularly in a developing id_country
• Training and public speaking experience