Publications

Pharmaceuticals, baby food, cotton clothing and cars are the four focus value chains of this report. 

Cotton by-products – such as cottonseed oil and oilcakes – can contribute meaningfully to reducing poverty, creating jobs and increasing economic growth in Africa. These derivatives can represent up to 30% of the value of seed cotton. Yet oil and cakes have not been fully exploited, despite a...

Stronger ties between African cotton producers/ginners and Asian buyers can improve the market positioning of African cotton. The African-Asian cotton trade has great potential. This study examines African challenges to improve along the value chain to meet Asia’s growing demand. It reviews ITC...

The coffee sector has a huge potential to contribute to poverty alleviation in East Africa, but the sector’s development is hampered by a lack of savings and credit facilities. Moreover, women’s access to financial services is even more restricted than that of men, and most women in rural areas...

This study invites national legislators as well as all those involved in enhancing the national business environment to consider secured financing schemes that will allow an increase in the amount of credit offered to SMEs. The reasoning is simple: allow as collateral property that SMEs usually...

A comprehensive guide to the fast-growing field of Islamic banking, this publication describes Islamic financial instruments and provides practical examples of how to use them. It focuses on the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises, particularly in the area of export finance.

This guide helps small exporters understand how to obtain finance, outlining the credit process of financial institutions, pre-application preparation, finding appropriate lenders and loan repayment. Models for business plans and loan requests are included. The guide also examines barriers to...

Report analysing the global market for organic cotton fibre, textiles and clothing - gives a definition of organic cotton and ‘fair trade’ cotton; provides detailed figures for organic cotton production, trade, and consumption; presents the geographical markets for organic...

The Cotton Exporter’s Guide is a reference book that is primarily targeted at cotton producers, ginners, exporters and traders in cotton producing developing countries, mainly, but not exclusively, in Africa. The guide provides a comprehensive view of all aspects of the cotton value chain from a...