AFRICA FAIR TRADE NETWORK

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AFRICA FAIR TRADE NETWORK
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AFN Background

• AFN is a not for profit non governmental
  organization of Africa Fair Trade (FT) commodity
  exporting producers established in Addis Ababa
  Ethiopia in March 2004.
• The AFN became legally constituted in February
  2006 when it was officially registered in the
  United Republic of Tanzania as a company limited
  by guarantee without share capital.

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Primary Objective

• To secure fair and equitable trade opportunities
  for members through enhanced participation in the
  International FT as equal partners without
  discrimination on the basis of religion,
  ethnicity or gender.

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Specific objectives

• To network exchange of information among members
  and between them with strategic Fair Trade
  partners,
• To strengthen communication to promote members
  understanding of Fair trade for popular
  participation inthe fair trade.
• To strengthen internal organization of the AFN
  and its regional networks to enhance member
  representation/

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Specific objectives

• participation in the international fair trade.
• To promote cooperation and solidarity among the
  small producers in Africa and with counterparts
  in the rest of the third world as well as with
  strategic partners sympathetic with their cause
  wherever they may be.

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Strategic Partners

• FLO international, the Fair Trade Foundation
  (FTF) UK and SETEM of Barcelona in Spain,
  continue to play a leadingrole in consolidating
  the network and in increasing producer
  participation in the fair trade.

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Strategic Partners

• Currently AFN, FLO and FTF are implementing an
  Africa wide Fairtrade for Development in Africa
  project designed to scale up the Fairtrade
  Labeling system to improve the social - economic
  status of small producers in Africa and by
  supporting efforts to achieve sustainable
  development in their communities.

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Strategic Partners

• Others in the long list of AFN friendly
  organizations are Twin of UK, Gepa, Oxfam and
  several national initiatives.
• AFN is working closely with counterpart Producer
  Networks of Latin America and Asia - CLAC and NAP
  and with many other pro fair trade organizations
  to further strengthen the disadvantaged poor
  producers of the third world in their long match
  to an international fair trade system.

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Milestones!

• AFN has prepared five years Strategic and
  Business plans which have been used to secure
  Comic Relief grant for Fair Trade for
  Development in Africa Project was obtained

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Milestones!

• The AFN has been able to create
• 1) West Africa regional FT Network (formed in
  November 2005) for West and North Africa,
• 2) Eastern Africa regional FT Network (formed
  August 2006) after the original set up had
  given way to the formation of AFN ,
• 3)Southern Africa FT regional Network (Oct 2007).

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Milestones!!

• Grant from SETEM for the promotion of
  participation of Fair Trade in Africa in the
  international fair trade dialogue
• Signing of MOU with SETEM on cooperation and
  implementation of cost of coffee production
  evaluation workshops (Ethiopia, Uganda and
  Tanzania)

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Milestones!!

• Signed an MOU with SETEM on promotion of fair
  trade dialogue in line with Economic Partnership
  Agreement (EPA) with European Union

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Milestones!!

• Recruitment of AFN coordinator /Programme Manager
  AFN regional coordinator (EAFN) as well as
  admin assistant
• Renovation of office for AFN/EAFN
• Members Meetings held beannually
• AFN conference held

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Milestones!!
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Challenges!

• Low institutional and administrative capacity
• Underdeveloped policies
• Un manned regional networks (SAFN,WAFN,NAFN)
• Absence of a unifying language for all AFN
  members across the continent

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Challenges!

• High product standards for some produce that
  dont consider the realities of the African
  producers
• Poor infrastructure especially farm to market
  access roads
• High operational cost due to vastness of the
  content and underdeveloped air transport to
  effectively move across the continent

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Challenges!

• Lack of awareness and understanding of fair trade
  concept and principles by some producers
• A high charge for the fair trade label, which
  small scale producers find exorbitant. Most of
  the small producers cannot afford to have their
  products stamped with international labels nor do
  they even have the connection to these
  international networks.

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Challenges!

• competition with fair trade goods from non
  African producers and underdeveloped local
  markets for fair trade products
• increasing demand for new standards (textile
  production, handcrafts, lake fish, essential
  oils).

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The Way Forward!!

• The AFN has planned to do the following
• Sustain and increase global market access and
  income for African FT Producer Organizations on
  terms that support development through a strong
  African producer network

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The Way Forward!!

• Enhance AFN Institutional capacity including
  capacity to lobby , advocate and network by
  ensuring that qualified manpower and physical
  equipments are available at the secretariat and
  regional offices

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The Way Forward!!

• Producers to be assisted in terms of business
  planning, equipment, design, gender sensitivity,
  disaster prevention, market trends, etc.Local
  producers must capacitated to assess market
  strategies and an incentive of improving and
  adapting their product quality constantly.

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The Way Forward!!

• AFN to establish and develop programmes with
  strategic institutions to facilitate fair trade
  activities for African producers
• AFN to increase the number of African producers
  awareness and participation in FT initiatives
  through effective communication

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The Way Forward!!

• Producers organisations to receive funding to
  support training on needs assessment in areas
  such as finance and organisational development
  or be assisted to get loans
• Increase consultation with producer organisations
  on standard setting and review

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The Way Forward!!

• AFN to advocate for Fair Trade principles in
  such a way that various sectors in the countries
  can comprehend it and thus, link it to their
  respective issues of concern. Awareness on Fair
  Trade must not be limited only to the business
  sector and government agencies who are regulating
  industries but should also be incorporated in the
  high school and college educational curriculum on
  economics.

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Conclusion

• The AFN has all along tried to unite ,empower and
  strengthen organisations of producer through
  active participation and effective representation
  in fair trade.despite the challenges a better
  world for the poor disadvantaged producers in
  Africa is possible if we all walk the talk!!