Latest news with #BethHughes
Fibre2Fashion
22-07-2025
- Business
- Fibre2Fashion
AAFA urges long-term AGOA renewal to boost US-Africa trade
Beth Hughes, vice president of trade and customs policy at the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA), has delivered testimony before the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), highlighting the importance of renewing the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) for calendar year 2026. Speaking at the annual review hearing (Docket Number USTR-2025-0012), Hughes stated that AGOA plays a pivotal role in driving US private-sector investment and employment across Africa and the United States. She shared testimonials from AAFA member companies, underscoring the impact of AGOA on business expansion and job creation. Hughes said that one member company recently inaugurated a new garment factory in Togo, employing over 250 local workers trained over the past eight months. The company plans to expand the workforce to 500, with finished goods shipped to a US-based warehouse that employs more than 100 Americans. Beth Hughes of AAFA has urged the USTR to renew AGOA for 2026, citing its critical role in boosting US investment and job creation in Africa and the US. She shared member success stories in Togo, Madagascar, Ghana, and Tanzania, and proposed enhancements like triennial reviews and improved customs systems. Hughes called AGOA a 'success story' and pushed for long-term renewal. She further noted that another US apparel company is preparing to construct a facility in Madagascar to relocate nearly 50 per cent of its production from China, Vietnam, and Indonesia. However, Hughes warned that this investment is entirely dependent on AGOA's renewal, as losing duty-free access would render the project unviable. In Ghana, a US company taking advantage of AGOA has become the country's largest private employer, with over 6,000 workers and plans to double that number by year-end. Much of the company's production has shifted from Asia to Ghana due to the cost competitiveness enabled by AGOA. Hughes also mentioned a long-standing AAFA member, founded in 1987, that has fully transitioned production from China to Madagascar and Tanzania since 2007. The company now employs over 10,000 workers—mostly women—and supplies 50 million garments annually to over 60,000 US small businesses, supporting around 3 million American jobs. She emphasised that AGOA's third-country fabric rule is vital, as it allows apparel manufacturers in lesser developed AGOA countries to source inputs from outside the continent while textile infrastructure in Africa is still being developed. At present, African suppliers provide only about 10 per cent of the cotton yarn and fabric used by local apparel manufacturers. To enhance AGOA's effectiveness and utilisation, Hughes said AAFA supports several targeted improvements. These include converting the annual eligibility review to a triennial cycle, allowing cumulation from African Union countries that have ratified the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and replacing outdated textile visa requirements with modern customs cooperation. She also recommended adjusting apparel quotas and revising the graduation criteria for AGOA beneficiaries. Calling AGOA a 'success story,' Hughes urged Congress and the Administration to renew the programme before the September 30 deadline and for the longest possible duration to provide certainty and encourage long-term investment. 'The time to act is now,' she said. 'AGOA has helped build a strong foundation for economic partnership, industrial growth, and mutual prosperity between the US and Africa. Let's not allow that progress to stall.' Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SG)
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
Flashback Friday: A graduation celebration
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – Chances are someone you know is graduating from high school or college this spring and we know that parents want their kids to be safe while celebrating the special occasion. In this week's Flashback Friday, KELOLAND's Beth Hughes takes us back to 1985 for a look at how high school seniors were safely celebrating their graduation. Like a Molotov cocktail drinking and driving at graduation time can be an explosive mix, last year in South Dakota 13 teenagers died in alcohol related accidents, 7 of those happened in the three months of May through July. With that in mind a group of Lincoln high parents is planning something different, an all night graduation party at the school. 'We decided four years ago that it would be fun to be able to do something really neat for our kids we wanted to take the time and energy that it takes to do something fun and give them a safe party.' But this is no ordinary party when all this is set up there will be a room with $7,000 worth of prizes ranging from stereos to microwaves, there will be a French style restaurant, and a game room where students can climb and throw instead of drink and drive if you think this is all hard to resist, you're right. 'Everybody's fascinated because there's such a big turnout and it all the parents are just proud of all the kids that are showing up after graduation.' 'Well it is a record number this year and probably from the seniors last year came back and told us about it.' The word has spread to other schools, O'Gorman had an all night party Sunday after its commencement and some Washington High parents are looking into doing something similar for their seniors next year. Beth Hughes, KELOLAND News. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
