Addis Ababa, November 14, 2026 (FMC) – The Center for Accelerated Women’s Economic Empowerment (CAWEE) and the African Leather and Leather Products Institute (ALLPI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen intra-African trade and advance the continent’s leather industry.
The agreement was signed by CAWEE Founder and Executive Director Dr. Nigist Haile and ALLPI Executive Director Nicolas Mudungwe at a ceremony attended by leaders and stakeholders committed to advancing Africa’s economic transformation.
Highlighting Ethiopia’s position as a country endowed with substantial livestock and leather resources, Dr. Nigist emphasized that the partnership goes beyond a formal agreement, seeking to introduce practical and innovative interventions that enable women-led small and medium enterprises to produce high-end, value-added leather goods for African markets.
She noted that CAWEE has already made significant progress in accessing African markets under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), successfully placing Ethiopian leather products in high-end boutiques in Kigali, Rwanda, and Nairobi, Kenya.
Building on these efforts, she said the organization is preparing to undertake a trade mission to Accra, Ghana, next month to introduce Ethiopian products to high-end boutiques, while plans are also underway to enter the Ugandan market next year.
Dr. Nigist also identified logistical inefficiencies that the partnership aims to address. She noted that shoe manufacturers in West Africa frequently import leather from Italy that originally comes from Ethiopia, while East African markets obtain finished leather through third-party intermediaries in Nairobi.
By streamlining supply chains, expanding trade in finished leather and making use of direct flight connections across the continent, the collaboration seeks to significantly reduce costs for consumers and ensure that greater economic benefits remain within Africa.
For his part, ALLPI Executive Director Nicolas Mudungwe emphasized the importance of building a robust ecosystem that reduces the cost of doing business across the continent.
By drawing on CAWEE’s established export channels, warehouses and outlets in markets such as Nairobi and Kigali, the two organizations plan to eliminate unnecessary expenditures, share logistics and improve trade efficiency.
Drawing attention to Africa’s broader industrial transformation, Mudungwe urged stakeholders to accelerate the continent’s industrial development. He noted that Africa’s share of global manufacturing trade has remained below two percent over the past decades, while global competitors such as China have made significant advances.
He stressed the need for the continent to accelerate its pace of development, stating, “We are no longer in a marathon, but we are now in a 100 meters race.” He also underscored the importance of women’s leadership in driving this rapid economic transformation.
While leather is the primary focus of the agreement, the initiative forms part of CAWEE’s broader economic engagement across five major sectors.
In addition to empowering women and youth in the leather industry, the organization promotes value addition in agribusiness and specialty roasted coffee, high-end textiles and garments, Ethiopian opals and gemstones, as well as cross-border tourism and hospitality services.
The organization also operates a high-end shop for Ethiopian opals and gemstones in Kigali.
Both leaders concluded the signing ceremony by committing to translate the agreement into tangible results, with plans to reconvene to assess concrete achievements and ensure that women and youth across Africa benefit fully from opportunities created through continental trade.