Design Studio Honors USAID-supported Botswana Furniture Maker
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 16, 2008
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WASHINGTON, D.C. - Design Within Reach in Bethesda, Md. recently hosted Peter Mabeo of MABEO Furniture to talk about his company and his contemporary furniture line manufactured in Botswana. The event was in conjunction with the seventh U.S. Sub-Saharan Africa Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum, which featured Mabeo as a speaker. The forum, also known as the AGOA Forum (African Growth and Opportunity Act), centered on the theme "Mobilizing Private Investment for Trade and Growth" and was held July 14-16 in Washington.
Mabeo was able to create a line of contemporary furniture and start his company thanks to support from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Southern Africa Global Competitiveness Hub. In collaboration with the Africa Fast Track Trade Project, also funded by USAID, the Hub provided an expert consultant in contemporary furniture to assist Mabeo in redesigning his furniture for export to the U.S. market. The Hub was also able to send Mabeo to New York City for the International Contemporary Furniture Fairs in 2007 and 2008, where he connected with Design Within Reach.
"This past year has been an exciting one for African trade competitiveness and economic growth.
FY 2007 saw significant progress in improving the business environments of African countries, helping African entrepreneurs reach their potential on the global stage, increasing access to finance, and overcoming infrastructure constraints," said USAID Administrator Henrietta Fore.
Mabeo's "Maun" chair was recently launched as part of Design Within Reach's sustainability furniture line. The chair is touted as ecologically, aesthetically and culturally sustainable. Mabeo has also worked to bring long-term benefits from producing these chairs to the local craftspeople who work in the manufacturing center in Gaborone, Botswana. The Maun chair is in showrooms in ten Design Within Reach locations throughout the United States, selling for approximately $750.
This is one of the many activities being carried out under the African Global Competitiveness Initiative, a five-year effort designed to promote improvements in Africa's trade capacity, boost international exports, and help businesses take advantage of AGOA.
For more information about USAID and its programs in Botswana, please visit www.usaid.gov.
For more information about the Southern Africa Trade Hub, visit www.satradehub.org.
The American people, through the U.S. Agency for International Development, have provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for nearly 50 years.
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