US-Africa Trade Desk highlights cotton, cashew partnerships at Capitol Hill event

WASHINGTON, July 21, 2026 (XOL Africa) — The US-Africa Trade Desk highlighted expanding trade opportunities between the United States and African countries at an event on Capitol Hill focused on strengthening commercial partnerships and supply chains.

The event, titled “US Wins with Africa Trade,” was held Monday in the Foreign Affairs Committee room of the Rayburn Office Building, where participants discussed trade policy and business opportunities between the United States and Africa.

The US-Africa Trade Desk, or USATD, showcased its “America’s Cotton” initiative, which aims to provide U.S. consumers with greater transparency about the origin of cotton and the manufacturing process used to produce apparel.

The initiative brings together U.S. cotton farmers across 11 states with apparel manufacturing countries including Mauritius, Lesotho, Madagascar and Kenya, with support from governments on both sides of the Atlantic, the organization said.

USATD also unveiled a cashew program designed to retain more value within supply chains connecting West Africa and the United States. Under the initiative, cashews sourced from West Africa are being processed and packaged at newly opened facilities in Florida and Alabama.

Participants also discussed U.S.-Africa trade policy, including the African Growth and Opportunity Act, or AGOA, and the third-country fabric rule included in the trade framework.

The USATD said stronger commercial ties would benefit both American and African businesses and argued that Africa should increasingly be viewed as a trading partner rather than primarily through the lens of foreign aid.

“The US wins when it looks at African countries as equal trading partners, instead of aid recipients,” the organization said, emphasizing its support for a “trade not aid” approach to U.S.-Africa economic relations.

The group said it remains optimistic about opportunities for businesses in the United States and Africa to expand cooperation through trade, manufacturing and supply-chain partnerships.