For me, Agoa is change to believe in

By Roselyne Egosangwa

I am a mother of nine, and an employee and shareholder of Ecosandals, a community-owned artisan group in Nairobi’s Korogocho slums.

Today, with the help of the African Growth and Opportunities Act (Agoa), we sell fashionable, environmental-friendly footwear in five continents.

Footwear from Ecosandals.

And I use technology from our Kariobangi workshop to sell products directly to customers and retail stores worldwide.

But I believe today’s Agoa should be different from that of 2000.

Agoa should work to create ownership by the poor, not just employment for the poor. This would change Kenya, and the Mathare, Korogocho, Kibera and Kangemi slums, in ways the talk shop that is the Agoa conference can hardly imagine.

Life changed

Nine years ago I was a mother living in Huruma, Nairobi, struggling to feed and clothe my family on an income of Sh3,000 - pitiful even by Kenyan standards.

I had just adopted my late sister’s four children and, when added to my five biological kids, the financial burden weighed heavily on me.

Then US Congress passed the Agoa law, and my life changed.

Like many others across the continent, Agoa has given me gainful self-employment, through part ownership of a global business, alongside my co-workers.

If Agoa’s goal is to create employment by giving businesspeople in Africa access to the American market, the US should know that in Africa, the rich get richer, while the poor become poorer.

In Korogocho and Huruma, we want more than employment. We want ownership.

Agoa can provide a vision for mothers like me to be quality owners and good shareholders, not just employees.

Shortly after Agoa was created, I accepted employment at Ecosandals, a company co-owned by its slum dwelling employees, and American investors.

The unique relationship we have with our customers, who buy from us directly online and in stores across America, is one that enables us to make sandals that we sell for us much as $44 a pair (Sh3,400 at current exchange rates).

That is more money than many families make in an entire month in Korogocho. By lowering trade barriers, Agoa makes it easier for us to sell directly to Americans, and for that we thank the US Government.

Unequal continent

Americans who make policies should know that Africa is a rich continent. But it is also an unequal continent. If Agoa only encourages the wealthy in Africa to hire cheap local labour and sell finished products to America, inequality will only get worse.

Today, in the world of Twitter, Facebook and Blackberry phones, a small group in Korogocho slums can build a global brand.

But to do that, they need technical infrastructure, capacity building and education.

Agoa should focus on creating ownership and wealth for them, through education on the opportunities for global trade that it represents.

The trade hub programme, with three offices in Africa that offer valuable trade links to America, should be spread out to all slums, and the villages around Marsabit and Kisii.

Ecosandals sent its first shipment to America in 2001. It was stopped at the border in New York, and we did not know what to do.

We had never heard of Agoa. Fortunately, our American friend wrote to the then Senator, Hillary Clinton of New York (now US Secretary of State). Her office educated the American customs officials about Agoa, and we have not had problems exporting to the US since then.

Other producers across Africa deserve the same access we have had. The first step is to educate every artisan group on Agoa.

They should understand how to label their products and their packing slips. The American Trade Hubs and the Kenyan Export Promotion Council have been effective in introducing us to Agoa.

Our most popular pair of Ecosandals footwear says, "Ndio tunaweza" on the left foot and has the translation, "Yes We Can", on the right one.

We see Agoa as change we all can believe in.

—The writer is the Marketing Director for Ecosandals, and can be reached at www.ecosandals.com

 

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