The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) through its Standard Alliance, had organised standards-related events in Washington for the members of the Ghanaian textiles and apparel industry who recently visited the US. The events helped Ghanian delegates to understand the market opportunities and requirements for textiles and apparel in the US.

The events were organised through ANSI’s public-private partnership with the US Agency for International Development (USAID) known as the Standards Alliance with the help of strategic international trade advisor Sandler Trade LLC. The Ghana delegation’s visit was part of the US State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP).

The 10-day IVLP visit, from December 5-13, provided nine Ghanaian participants a detailed introduction to the US textiles and apparel market as well as the US regulatory environment. During the first day, Ghanaian participants travelled to the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR), where they discussed international trade agreements, US trade preference programs, and technical regulations required to gain access to the US market.

Following their meeting with the USTR, delegates travelled to Sandler Trade LLC to learn about the development of the voluntary standards and testing systems that form the foundation of US testing and regulatory requirements.

Presentations by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) detailed specific regulatory requirements, while ASTM International and Bureau Veritas provided context to the regulations by explaining voluntary standards and testing systems in the US.

Discussions between Sandler and the delegates about the Us textiles market helped the Ghanaian participants brainstorm how their products might fit in the US market and helped to further solidify the importance of technical regulations to gain access to the market.

The delegation also met with the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA), Fair Trade America (FTA), and the Fair Trade Federation (FTF). Presentations by these organisations provided additional information on fair trade market requirements and related certifications.

The standards-related events built a foundation for the remainder of the trip. Following their Washington visit, the IVLP delegates travelled to North Carolina to view US on-the-ground design, production, and retail operations. The delegates visited US companies operating in North Carolina and learned about US marketing approaches, US import practices and state government promotion of trade. They also visited universities, trade associations and US government agencies involved in importing goods.