Irish charities merge to strengthen trade links with Africa

Bernard O’Connell(left), a director of Traidlinks is pictured
with African women entrepreneurs from Burundi on
a trade mission to Democratic Republic of Congo

20 July 2017. Irish non-profit Traidlinks has merged with Gorta-Self Help Africa in a move designed to build on Traidlinks’ success in facilitating trade on the African continent.

Since 2004 the company has supported over 120 export-orientated businesses across the continent of Africa and in 2016 Traidlinks helped over 20 Rwandan companies achieve nearly $1 million export sales in regional markets.

The merger of the two groups comes as the government launches the latest phase of its Africa agri-food development programme, an initiative designed to support partnerships between Irish and African agri-food companies.

“Business can and is making a real difference in building economies and reducing extreme poverty in sub-Saharan Africa. Rural poor communities need markets, they need jobs, and they need a fair price for their goods and services, and we believe that by working together we can play a vital role in facilitating that to happen,”  Ray Jordan, chief executive of Gorta-Self Help Africa.