The All Africa Leather Fair (AALF) wrapped up after four days of business in the Ethiopian Skylight Hotel, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 6th December 2021.

The Trade Fair was officially opened by the State Minister of the Ministry of Industry of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia together with an opening speech by the Africa Leather and Leather Products Institute (ALLPI) Programs Coordinator Mr. Ghebregziabher Ghebremedhin.

ALLPI’s mandate is the support of the development of the leather sector in the region and it is headquartered in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Its membership encompasses ten countries, namely; Burundi, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Uganda, Sudan, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

AALF is Africa’s biggest international exhibition and conference in the leather value chain. The event encompasses leather, leather fashion and accessories, leather chemicals, shoemaking and materials, tanning and leather finishing technology, automotive and furniture leathers.

Travel restrictions limited visitor numbers in comparison with previous years, but the return of AALF as an event was welcomed by local trade as an opportunity to see product and meet with vendors again.

Pittards is a long-time exhibitor and it was an excellent opportunity to showcase our leather, gloves, apparel, footwear and accessory manufacturing capability. Our vertically integrated proposition that allow brands supply chain visibility from leather manufacturing to final stitch is highly valued by customers sourcing from Ethiopia.

Underlining our visibility at AALF, was the silver sponsor support for the 36th Congress of the International Union of Leather Technologists and Chemists Society (IULTCS) that took place in Ethiopia the month before.

The Congress, under the theme of “Greening the Leather Value Chain”, was organised in a hybrid format bringing together 240 representatives from academia, research institutes, associations, consultants, chemicals suppliers and, leather and leather products manufacturers, from six continents. A total of 114 scientific papers were presented over the three days with the keynote Heidemann Lecture, being delivered by Professor Anthony Covington, University of Northampton.

We are proud to have been part of two such important global events that emphasise the importance of Ethiopia as part of the leather supply chain for the long term.