African ministers and development partners are pushing to expand cotton processing and textile production as a pathway to jobs and economic growth, as the World Trade Organization’s 14th Ministerial Conference continues in Yaoundé, Cameroon.

Speakers at a high-level event ahead of the meeting said greater investment in the cotton, textiles and garments sector could help shift Central and West Africa away from exporting raw materials toward higher-value manufacturing.

Around 98% of the region’s cotton is currently exported as raw fibre, despite its potential to support a broader industrial base, participants said.

“We are on the cusp of creating a modern textiles and garment industry across West and Central Africa,” WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said.

The event marked the launch of a new phase of the Partenariat pour le Coton initiative, which aims to mobilize investment and strengthen the cotton-to-textile value chain.

The initiative builds on efforts led by the C-4+ group of countries, which includes Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and Côte d’Ivoire.

Analysis by the partnership indicates that about $5 billion in investment and capacity-building support could generate around 500,000 direct jobs across sectors including manufacturing, transport and design.

Partners also introduced a new platform, Africa Textile Invest, designed to give investors access to country data, industrial zones and project opportunities.

“The future of African cotton lies in value addition,” International Trade Centre Executive Director Pamela Coke-Hamilton said, pointing to the role of private investment in helping farmers and businesses retain more value locally.

At the conference opening, Afreximbank President George Elombi said the continent could shift from raw cotton exports to textiles and clothing within two decades, increasing incomes and supporting livelihoods.

On the eve of the conference, FIFA representatives and Cameroonian football legend Samuel Eto’o unveiled T-shirts and polo shirts made in Benin from African cotton for the FIFA Football for Schools program.

The WTO’s 14th Ministerial Conference runs from March 26 to 29 in Yaoundé, Cameroon.