Africa – EU Cotton Partnership Seminar on: Cotton in Africa

1. Africa – EU Cotton PartnershipSeminar on: Cotton in Africa Seminar on Cotton in Africa Trends, Incentives and Institutions: What works, What doesn’t work and Why? NGO & Private Sector Final Remarks Jonathan Edmonds TechnoServe Tanzania

2. The true competition is not producer against ginner against spinner, nor is it West Africa versus East Africa, rather it is Africa against the rest of the world… World Cotton demand has grown significantly over the past 25 years… However, we have recently seen the demand for African cotton decrease… Million tons Million tons World USA Africa Source: Africa’s Cotton in the World, ICAC & Gerald Estur

3. Each country needs to develop an Industry Strategic Plan (ISP) that assess demand & supply side of the economic equation and outlines an action plan for stakeholders to work together to increase industry profitability. We need to start with the end in mind… And focus on how we can maximize value for all stakeholders… Increase price Increase Revenue Grow volume • Industry Strategic Plan • Who are our customers (current & future) and what is it that they need? • How can the national stakeholders work together to deliver the customer demand in a cost effective manner? • What regional and continental alliances can strengthen the overall African cotton product offering and drive economies of scale? Increase Profitability Farmer Costs Manage (Decrease)Costs Ginner Costs Spinner Costs Maximize Stakeholder Value Infrastructure Optimize Capital Working Capital Goodwill

4. “ • SSA countries could increase revenues and benefits from cotton in the future, but subject to three major challenges: • Achieving greater value through improved quality, marketing, and valorization of by-products, • Bridging performance and competitiveness gaps through farm-level productivity and ginning efficiency, and • Improving the sector’s sustainability through institutional development and capacity-building of stakeholders, as well as strengthening of governance structures and management systems. ” The studies on what needs to be done are out there, now the challenge is to convert the findings into action. • Action Plan • Establish a sense of urgency • Examine market & competitive realities • Create the guiding coalition • Assemble a group with enough power to lead the industry transformation • Define roles & responsibilities and behavior • Develop a vision and strategy • Realistic short-term and long-term milestones • Performance targets • Communicate strategy to all internal and external stakeholders • Empower stakeholders to act on the vision • Strengthen capacity to achieve target • Equip stakeholder with necessary tools • Remove obstacles • Generate short-term wins • Institutionalize new approach in the industry culture Source: Comparative Analysis of Cotton Sector Reforms in SSA – Preliminary Results, Colin Poulton (SOAS, University of London) Leading Change – Why Transformation Efforts Fail, John P Kotter, Harvard Business School Press

5. The writing in on the wall, all we need to do now is to turn the talk into action and realize the true value of the African cotton industry for all stakeholders – farmers, ginners, spinners, governments etc. Cooperation Coordination R&D Commitment Leadership Innovation Marketing Discipline Collaboration Team Work Creative Vision Common Language Trust Integration Action Fact Base Network