African Textile Exporters Turn to China as US Tariffs Take Hold

 The Diplomat published on 8 August 2025 an article titled "Amid US Tariffs, Africa's Fashion Industry Looks to China" by Laura Katia Machavane and Oluwaseyitan Oyewumi Adiat, both with Development Reimagined.

The sudden imposition of tariffs and suspension of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act by the United States have exposed the challenges of exporting textiles to the US.  Asia and especially China are becoming more predictable markets.

Comparing China's and EU's Trade with Africa (in French)

 Thierry Pairault posted on 1 September 2024 a study titled "L'Union europeenne face a la Chine en Afrique." 

The study provides an overview of China's and the EU's trade relations with Africa from 2000 until the end of 2023.  Since 2000, the EU collectively has been a far larger market for African exports than is the case for China.  While Africa's imports from China are growing more rapidly than those from the EU, the latter remains a larger source of African imports than China.  Distance has much to do with this trade relationship.  

Major Chinese Investments in Suez Canal Economic Zone

 Zawya Projects posted on 29 May 2023 an article titled "Chinese Companies Flock to Egypt's SCZONE" by Eman Hamed.

Chinese companies have announced more than $3 billion in investment projects in the coming years in the Suez Canal Economic Zone in the chemical, textile/apparel, power, pipes, and iron and steel sectors. 

Comment:  Historically, not all announcements of Chinese investment projects materialize and it will be instructive what happens in this case.

Working Conditions in an Ethiopian Industrial Park

 Foreign Policy published on 24 September 2022 and article titled "The Dark Side of Ethiopia's Export Boom" by Sophie Cousins.

The article describes working conditions for women at Ethiopia's Chinese-built Hawassa Industrial Park.  Not everything is positive.

US Removes Ethiopia, Mali, and Guinea from Africa Growth and Opportunity Act

Aljazeera published on 2 January 2022 an article titled "US Removes Ethiopia, Mali and Guinea from AGOA Trade Programme." 

The United States removed Ethiopia on 1 January 2022 from AGOA eligibility due to "gross violations of internationally recognized human rights being perpetrated by the government of Ethiopia and other parties amid the widening conflict in northern Ethiopia."  It removed Mali and Guinea because of coups d'etat in both countries.  Each country has benchmarks for reinstatement of AGOA eligibility.  

A factsheet on "AGOA and Ethiopia" explains that in 2020 Ethiopia exported to the United States $238 million of goods (mostly apparel and footwear) under the terms of the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act.  Coffee exports of $131 million did not fall under AGOA.  

African Unions Concerned about Illegal Chinese Textile Imports

 The Geneva-based IndustriAll Global Union published on 15 July 2021 a commentary titled "Unions Discuss Revival of the Textile and Garment Sector in Africa."

Illegal imports of tectiles, especially from China, are threatening the revival of the textile and garment sector in Africa.  Cheap Chinese imports have decimated the textile industries in Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, and other countries.  

Fifty Years of Nigeria-China Relations

 The Conversation published on 13 April 2021 an analysis titled "Fifty Years, Five Problems - and How Nigeria Can Work with China in Future" by Abdul-Gafar Tobi Oshodi, Lagos State University, and Ufo Okeke Uzodike, Durban University of Technology.

The authors conclude that 50 years of Nigeria-China relations has been a bitter-sweet mixture.  China can continue to play an important role in Nigeria's development but Abuja must urgently address the negative side of the relationship.  

Ethiopia: Following China's Industrial Park Model

The Diplomat published on 16 April 2020 an analysis titled "China and Ethiopia, Part 4: Mekelle Industrial Park" by Istvan Tarrosy, Zoltan Voros, and Seife Hailu Gebreslassie.

The Mekelle Industrial Park in Tigray State follows the Chinese model and houses mainly Asian companies. The focus is on textiles and apparel. The success of this and other industrial parks depends in large part on the supporting infrastructure such as roads, electricity, and modern technology. The Mekelle Industrial Park still has some distance to go in this regard.

Who Owns Kenyan Kitenge Fabric: China or Kenya?

African Arguments published on 21 August 2019 an article titled "Can a Chinese Import Ever Be Authentically African?" by April Zhu.

Kitenge fabric is made in China, but sold, worn and inscribed with meaning in Kenya. Does kitenge, therefore, belong to China or Kenya?

Chinese Garment Manufacturer Moves to Rwanda

The China-Africa Research Initiative (CARI) at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies published in August 2018 a working paper titled "Chinese Manufacturing Moves to Rwanda: A Study of Training at C&H Garments" by Janet Eom.

The paper finds that the Rwandan government's shift towards creating jobs in the manufacturing sector, and hiring local workers, have been key to negotiating an agreement with a Chinese investor that supports technology transfer.

CARI published a policy brief on the same subject.

Ethiopia to Lead Africa's Industrial Revolution?

Development Alternatives Inc. (DAI) recently posted a piece titled "Ethiopia Stands to Lead an African Industrial Revolution" by Nebil Kellow, managing director of Enterprise Partners.

There has been much discussion in recent years about African industrialization. Ethiopia has done far better than most African countries in building industrial parks and industrial capacity, but most of Africa, including Ethiopia, has a long way to go before industry will constitute a significant component of GNP. Most African countries might be better advised to focus on reforming and improving agriculture before they try to industrialize.

Ethiopia, China, and the Apparel Industry

Bloomberg Businessweek published on 2 March 2018 an article titled "China Is Turning Ethiopia into a Giant Fast-Fashion Factory" by Bill Donahue.

The article describes the challenges of developing an apparel industry in Ethiopia and warns that it may be necessary to move more cautiously in the years ahead.

Ethiopia: The Economics of a Chinese-built Industrial Park

The Guardian published on 5 December 2017 an article titled "Park Life: Workers Struggle To Make Ends Meet at Ethiopia's $250m Industrial Zone" by William Davison.

This is a journalistic account of the economic challenges faced by a textile company operating in Ethiopia's Hawassa Industrial Park, which was built by China. Low wages and cheap electricity attract companies to the industrial park, but relatively high transportation costs and a rising cost of living for workers are raising questions about the long-term profitably of the company.

Chinese Investment in Ethiopia

Le Monde published on 12 September 2017 an article titled "The Rise of 'Made in Ethiopia'--With the Backing of Beijing" by Emeline Wuilbercq.

The author notes that 279 Chinese companies are operating in Ethiopia. Chinese investments in Ethiopia total more than $4 billion and are said to have created 111,000 jobs. In the case of textiles, this production by Chinese companies takes advantage of the U.S. Growth and Opportunity Act by exporting duty free to the United States.

Africa and China's Belt and Road Initiative

The Hong Kong Trade Development Council posted in mid-July 2017 a commentary titled "Is China's BRI Programme Aligned with Africa's Long-Term Interests" by Mark Ronan, a correspondent in Cape Town.

After posing the question whether China's interests in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) correspond with those of Africa, the author concludes that they largely do. There are, however, two flaws in the analysis. Most of the Chinese infrastructure projects cited as part of the BRI in Africa were either announced or under construction before the BRI was even announced. The infrastructure projects are also referred to as Chinese investments (as in FDI?) whereas they are projects financed by loans from China or international banks that must be paid back and where there is no ownership component by China.

Ethiopia and Kenya Attract Apparel Buyers

McKinsey and Company published in August 2015 a study titled "East Africa: The Next Hub for Apparel Sourcing" by Achim Berg, Saskia Hedrich, and Bill Russo. 

The report points out that within Sub-Sahara Africa, East African countries--especially Ethiopia and Kenya, and to a lesser extent Uganda and Tanzania--are attracting apparel buyers such as H & M, Primark, and Tesco.  Over the next 3 years, Ethiopia is predicted to be the 7th top sourcing destination globally after Bangladesh, Vietnam, India, Myanmar, Turkey, and China.  The U.S. African Growth and Opportunity Act is contributing to this interest in the African countries as sources for garments. 

Asian Investment and Africa's Textile Industry

The Center for Global Policy at Carnegie-Tsinghua published on 5 August 2014 a study titled "The Impact of Asian Investment on Africa's Textile Industries" by Tang Xiaoyang, resident scholar at Carnegie-Tsinghua.  The author argues that as African countries seek to industrialize and build indigenous cotton-textile-apparel value chains, the interactions between Asian, primarily Chinese, investors and African companies become more complex.  Asian investors present both a challenge to an opportunity for local industries.

Chinese Migration to Madagascar

The December 2013 issue of African Review of Economics and Finance published an article titled "Temporary Chinese Migration to Madagascar: Local Perceptions, Economic Impacts, and Human Capital Flows" by Cornelia Tremann, School of Oriental and African Studies.

The article is based on 15 months of fieldwork in Madagascar between September 2010 and July 2012.  There are an estimated 70,000 to 100,000 Chinese nationals residing in Madagascar.  Most are traders of items manufactured in China.  The Malagasy believe that most of the Chinese goods reaching Madagascar are of the lowest export quality.  The Malagasy government has done little to limit the importation of Chinese goods where they compete directly with products manufactured in Madagascar.  The author concludes that while many local Malagasy businesses have not been able to compete with Chinese imports others are finding ways to exploit the presence of the new Chinese business networks and supply chains in the country.   

China's Engagement in Tanzania and Nigeria

Pambazuka News published on 29 January 2014 three useful articles concerning China's engagement in Tanzania and Nigeria.  They include:

• Trading with China: How the Igbo Cloth Traders in the Lagos Island Market Scale the Intricate Hurdles by Kenneth Okpomo.
• Tanzania Becoming the New Chinese Province in Africa by Daniel Mbega.
• A Railway Line in the South: 40 Years after TAZARA by Daniel Mbega.

Upcoming Event in Washington: China, Taiwan and South Africa

Yoon Jung Park, convener/coordinator of the Chinese in Africa/Africans in China Research Network and senior research associate at Rhodes University, will host an event titled "The Chinese, the Taiwanese, 'Fong Kong,' and Labor in South Africa" at the Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center in Washington on 12 September 2013.  Dr. Park will present a working paper regarding the heavy penetration of Chinese textiles, referred to as "fong kong" or fake, cheap, substandard goods, into the South African market.  Details are included in the link above.