Benin is a small West African country with bright prospects. Only 45 km from Benin’s capital Cotonou in the commune of Abomey-Calavi, the Glo-Djigbé Industrial Zone (GDIZ) is currently being built on an area covering 1,640 hectares, where locally grown agricultural products are to be processed. Local products mainly include cotton, cashew nuts, pineapples, shea nuts and soybeans. The broadening of national value creation is expected to create a total of 300,000 jobs, while also fighting poverty and strengthening the competitiveness of the “Made in Benin” brand. Construction on the industrial zone began in June 2021, and the project is due to be inaugurated on 31st July 2022.

A joint venture between Arise Integrated Industrial Platforms (Arise IIP), Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) and the Republic of Benin was founded to establish the push economy. Arise IIP alone plans to invest 1.5 billion dollars./1/ As of March 2022, a total of ten companies had already relocated to the GDIZ, including representatives from the textile industry. As part of a special project, home textiles production is set to be a particular focus in the GDIZ. The project involves building up capacity in the spinning, circular knitting and weaving sectors, thus investing in textile machinery from renowned manufacturers.