AGOA: INFORMATION ON TEXTILE AND APPAREL

UNCLAS NIAMEY 000866

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

DEPT: FOR AF/W, BACHMAN; AF/EPS, THASTINGS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KTEX EINV ETRD NG
SUBJECT: AGOA: INFORMATION ON TEXTILE AND APPAREL
PRODUCTION CAPABILITIES AND THIRD-COUNTRY FABRIC PROVISIONS

REF: SECSTATE 131825


1. (U) The following responds to reftel's request for
information on Niger's textile and apparel manufacturing
capabilities. Niger counts three mid-sized and one larger
export oriented textile production firms: Enitex, Ste
Alphadi, Herbert Toure, and Ram's Elle et Lui. Details on
each follow, and are geared to the format in reftel's
paragraph 3. Given the modest size of these enterprises, and
the fact that their primary export markets are West African
and / or European, host government officials and local
businesses would likely be indifferent to an extension of the
AGOA third-country fabric provisions.


2. (U) Enitex is the former public textile production
company. It was privatized in the early 1990's - one of the
first state owned firms to be sold off. It is currently owned
by Chinese interests. Enitex manufactures in Niamey and has
655 employees. It exports unfinished textile goods (bolts of
cloth) to Europe and throughout West Africa. Enitex operates
6350 spindles, 18 spinning machines, 1 beating machine, 476
power looms, 2 washers, and 2 printing machines. The firms'
input material is cotton from Niger, Burkina Faso, and Benin.


3. (SBU) In an August 16 conversation with the Ambassador,
the Chinese Ambassador noted that the company's owners deem
Enitex unprofitable, and are interested in phasing it out
over time. The Chinese Ambassador noted that Enitex produces
textiles at a price of 4,000 CFA per meter (approximately
$8.00),whereas, even counting transport costs, Chinese
textiles can be produced for the regional market at 2,000 CFA
a meter (approximately $4.00). Reportedly, Enitex has already
experienced some layoffs this year.


4. (U) Ste Alphadi is owned by a Nigerien entrepreneur and is
based in Niamey. The company employs 45 full time workers and
35 part time staff on 50 sewing machines. Input material and
source: cotton from regional African countries; linen from
Europe; hand-woven textile products from Mali, Senegal,
Ghana, Nigeria, and Niger; Lycra and muslin from Europe; silk
from India and China; jeans from the USA modified for resale.
Finished products include: shirts, women and men's clothing,
women's dresses, traditional West African Boubous and
specialty products. Target markets for finished products
include regional countries, Europe, and the United States.
Ste Alphadi's products are priced in the low to mid-range of
the market. The company maintains a website at:
alphadi@internet.ne.


5. (U) Harbert Toure company is owned by a Nigerien
entrepreneur and is headquartered in Niamey. The firm employs
25 laborers on 31 sewing machines and uses textiles from
Mali, Senegal, and Europe as input materials. It produces
mid-range outfits for men and women, and exports primarily to
Ghana, Mali, Senegal, Cote d'Ivoire, and South Africa.


6. (U) Ram's Elle et Lui is likewise a Niamey based,
privately held company producing mid-range outfits for men
and women. The firm employs 20 full time and 15 part time
workers on 25 sewing machines. Input materials are limited to
textiles from neighboring countries, and their exports are
sent primarily to African boutiques in the U.S. and to Mali
and Senegal.
ALLEN