Every day, thousands of tons of clothing arrive in Africa from Western countries. Unsold or little-worn clothes in the West sometimes end up in Africa for a second life: this is the second-hand market. In Sub-Saharan Africa in general, these clothes feed a local trade and support a multitude of small local retailers.
Each French person disposes of an average of 12 kg of clothes each year. A significant portion of these used clothes in the West end up on African markets. They dress today a good number of Senegalese, Burkinabe, Togolese, Beninese, Cameroonians, Malians, or even Malagasy…
Indeed, the big market of the second-hand clothes in Africa, is the consequence of an overconsumption generated by the industry of the fashion in Europe. This industry pushes Westerners to renew their clothes more and more often. Inevitably, Europe has as a discharge point, Africa. How would Europe react if African countries started to flood it with second-hand products?
An opportunity for all social ranks
But for the time being, we cannot make value judgments since these clothes answer a fundamental need of the human being: to be clothed. Moreover, thanks to this system, even the most remote parts of Africa are connected to the Western way of life. Not to mention that thanks to the thrift store, you can save a lot of money. It is a market that welcomes all social strata. From the poorest, who dress cheaply, to the most inventive who often revisit these clothes. There is something for everyone.
A limitation on the import of clothing?
Isn’t it stupid to manufacture cotton, export it… and then import the clothes made from that same cotton? Indeed, in 2017, Mali and Burkina-Faso, were the top cotton producers in Africa. These countries, along with others such as Chad or Togo, are names that count in the production of this raw material from which clothes are made. Unfortunately, it is still this same Africa that finds itself importing more finished products from this same cotton. There is reason to worry.
However, as long as fashion overconsumption continues in a West that has established strong profitability channels, combating thrift shopping in less developed regions like Africa will be difficult. It must be said that cheap textile imports have undermined the desire to build a local industry. Without forgetting that reducing the import of second hand clothes in Africa will constitute an incredible loss of income: the problem of professional reconversion for these thousands of retailers, in the informal sector. The other concern is the price: Replacing the dress all sewn from Europe with a locally made dress can lead to a significant price increase that the average or poor customer cannot afford.
Initiatives are underway in several African countries to counter this phenomenon. For instance, in 2016, Rwanda increased import taxes on used clothing by 12 times in an effort to phase them out of the market. North Africa has specialized in textiles, with Tunisia and Morocco in particular. In sub-Saharan Africa, Ethiopia is becoming an increasingly important workshop.
Rwanda and its revival of the garment industry is a hope. The combination of its efforts with those of Nigeria, Morocco, Ethiopia and South Africa could open up new prospects.
