Institutes Stress Need for African Countries to Unleash Leather, Leather Products Potential

Addis Ababa September 14/2022/ENA/  African countries need to intensify efforts to unleash the continent’s potential with the help of the Africa Leather and Leather Products Institute (ALLPI), the institute's Advisor Professor Mekonnen said.

ALLPI Executive Director Advisor, Professor Mekonnen Hailemariam told ENA that the institutes is working with its member states to convert the raw materials to product level such as finished leather in order to gain much from the sector.

According to him, “Africa has the 25 percent of global livestock population that constitutes base for the leather industry development; and in terms of raw materials also Africa represents 16 percent of the global volume produced. But the world traded value per year, for example in 2019, more than 260 billion USD, out of which Africa earned only 2.6 billion USD less than 1 percent,”

Africa’s hides and skins, leather and leather products import and export values in 2018 were  also 5.45 and 2.55 billion USD, respectively.

The membership to join ALLPI is open to all African countries and the institute has been collaborating with many countries in formulating effective strategies to develop the sector, it was learned.

Manufacturing Industry Development Institute Director-General, Milkesa Jagema said on his part that all African countries need to work with ALLPI to create a united force that will ensure Africa to meet its own leather products demand.

“We need to unite and consolidate our efforts in the leather sector to harness the great potential of Africa from wet blue finished leather to leather products,” he added.

The director-general further noted that “this meeting could not have come at a better time than this one. In this era of globalization as well as the coming up of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), our countries need to strengthen their manufacturing industries to ensure competitive leather products which are made available on the domestic markets to counteract the influx of the imported ones.”  

Africa Leather and Leather Products Institute (ALLPI), previously known as COMESA/LLPI, was chartered in 1990, with the endorsement of 17 COMESA Heads of States and in 2018 re-branded as Africa Leather and Leather Products Institute (ALLPI).