The City of Dortmund plans to procure sustainably produced workwear from Ghana to boost the local economy

On Wednesday, November 20th, 2024, Invest for Jobs and the City of Dortmund signed a Declaration of Intent in Kumasi, Dortmund’s sister city and Ghana’s second-largest metro area in the Ashanti region. This agreement is the first step in a cooperation that aims to strengthen business relations between German and Ghanaian companies in order to establish socially and environmentally sustainable textile and garment production processes in Ghana. By strengthening sustainable public procurement from Africa, it seeks to create more and better jobs, improve working conditions and promote a just transition by adhering to international production standards. With the support of Invest for Jobs, Dortmund aims to sustainably procure workwear from German companies that are working with textile and garment manufacturers in Ghana and the region of Kumasi and thereby support the local economy and population of its sister city.

The African market, particularly Ghana, offers promising opportunities for sustainable textile and garment production. The Ghanaian textile industry is a growing sector and a vital pillar for the region’s economic development. As part of the city partnership between the City of Dortmund and the City of Kumasi, the procurement of sustainable textiles, in particular workwear, from this region is seen as a strategic step that promotes closer relations between the two cities.

Role model

The City of Dortmund has been committed to sustainable public procurement for two decades. This commitment is reflected not least in its accession to the “Charta Faire Metropole Ruhr 2030” in 2022, according to which public contracts should only be awarded to companies that ensure compliance with the core labor standards of the International Labor Organization (ILO). Presently, only about half of the workwear purchased by the City of Dortmund meets the sustainability criteria due to a lack of supply on the market – leading to a market failure. Therefore, the joint agreement of the City of Dortmund and Invest for Jobs will help to close the gap between public sector demand and supply and ensure that the benefits of sustainable procurement also contribute to improving working conditions and promoting ethical production processes in the supplier countries.

This collaboration serves as a role model for other German municipalities, showing how public procurement can be used to harmonise the objectives of sustainable development cooperation with the interests of the private sector. “With their significant purchasing power, German municipalities such as Dortmund play a decisive role in promoting sustainable procurement”, explains Salvador Braedt, Advisor at the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, one of the implementing organisations of Invest for Jobs which runs the project with the city of Dortmund.

Supporting African companies to create good jobs

Invest for Jobs will support the City of Dortmund throughout the procurement process, establishing links with local garment and textile producers. This support complements Invest for Jobs' Africa FAN project, which connects international fashion brands and retailers with emerging textile and apparel production hubs in Africa.

Africa FAN offers support to international sourcing managers in the following areas:

• Provide access to detailed market information on production capacities of African textile suppliers
• Facilitate exploratory visits (virtual and on-site) for interested buyers to meet selected African apparel manufacturers
• Provide technical support to African textile and apparel suppliers so that they meet the quality and sustainability of international requirements
• Support the exchange of samples
• Support for African textile and apparel suppliers to participate in trade fairs in connection with sourcing textiles and garments in Africa