The 2026 Football World Cup offers a great economic and commercial opportunity for Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Chad (C4 cotton producers) and Ivory Coast through their textile industries.
Indeed, in order to promote economic inclusion in these countries within the framework of the WTO Cotton program and find new opportunities for supplying the sports clothing industry by these nations, a specific project was selected intended to support the development of the cotton value chain with the aim of making “100% Made in Africa” jerseys available during the 2026 World Cup.
A delegation from the steering committee responsible for supervising this project and composed of representatives from FIFA, WTO, UNIDO, CCI, Afreximbank, BCI and C4, is staying in Benin from 04 to June 6, 2024
for a work meeting.
On this occasion, the delegation visited the Glo-Djigbé Industrial Zone (GDIZ), with a view to ensuring that Benin has modern infrastructure meeting international standards in terms of cotton processing and textile production.
She also visited the GDIZ Textile Training and Production Center as well as the integrated textile factory, Bénin Textile, specializing in spinning, weaving, dyeing and textile making.
« This visit allowed us to appreciate the level of commitment of the Beninese authorities and we are really willing to work with the government of Benin. But also with the other C4 countries to see how to support these effects to create added value, create new opportunities for young people and also create new opportunities for women who work on this site » declared Stephen FEVRIER, Ambassador, Principal Advisor to the Director of the WTO in Geneva.
Létondji BÉHÉTON, General Director of SIPI BENIN, Manager of the Glo-Djigbé Industrial Zone (GDIZ) reassures: “ We have already experimented with making jerseys as part of this partnership, jerseys that have met FIFA requirements. I can reassure you that today we have a qualified workforce capable of meeting FIFA’s needs. ».
It should be noted that the stay in Cotonou of the delegation of FIFA, WTO, UNIDO, CCI, Afreximbank, BCI and C4 is also part of the preparations for the next edition of World Cotton Day (WCD), scheduled for Cotonou in October 2024.